


Being Human

by asterkiss



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: F/M, Human Bill Cipher, Monster of the Week, Post-Series, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-02-07 08:24:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12837162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asterkiss/pseuds/asterkiss
Summary: Bill Cipher had razed empires to the ground in a single night, crushed dimensions to dust beneath his feet and manipulated humans as high-ranking as Emperors and Kings into doing his bidding.And yet, none of those compared to the difficulty and and torture of being human.Shooting Star wasn't making things any easier for him. "What do you mean I have feelings? That's disgusting."





	1. New Beginnings Arc: Rebirth - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set five years after the series. Bill/Mabel centric with Dipper/Pacifica as a side pairing. Other pairings may surface as the story goes on.
> 
>  **IMPORTANT NOTES as of 23/04/18:**  
>  \- This is intended to be a long story with a seriously super slow-burn. If you're here for quick romance, you're in the wrong place friend.  
> \- This series follows an episode format with two or three chapters belonging to one episode each.  
> \- Furthermore, episodes are split into story arcs with each arc providing a different antagonist/issue. Arc lengths will vary.  
> \- This is a very long project which will have many chapters. However, I do already have the ending planned and set in mind.  
> \- Again, SUPER SLOW BURN.  
> \- Enjoy~

_Sixty degrees that come in threes._  
_Watches from within birch trees._  
_Saw his own dimension burn._  
_Misses home and can't return._  
_Says he's happy. He's a liar._  
_Blame the arson for the fire._  
_If he wants to shirk the blame,_  
_He'll have to invoke my name._  
_One way to absolve his crime._  
_A different form, a different time._

_\- Axolotl_

\- - -

 

 

“Waddles!”

Rushing forward in glee, Mabel Pines threw her arms around the pig without care for his muddy disposition as she lifted him high in the air—

“Ahck-!”

“Mabel, Waddles probably weighs like 140lbs now. You can’t lift him like you used to. Put him down before you hurt yourself,” Dipper warned, pulling the final suitcase out of the nearby 4x4 truck.

The girl in question grit her teeth at that, fueled by her own stubbornness. “Never! Love triumphs over anything!” Releasing a grunt of exertion, she bent her knees as she attempted to lift the struggling and squealing pig whose feet still remained on the ground.

Dipper watched her plight with a sigh, placing a hand to his face. “We’ve been here for twenty minutes and you’re already trying to break your back.”

“Almost… there…” With one final use of her entire strength Mabel hoisted the pig into her arms, successfully lifting his hooves off the floor. She gave a triumphant grin at her victory for all of five seconds before Waddles weight sent her falling flat on her back with him atop her. She swore she heard something crack. “Oof-!”

Dipper winced. That had to hurt. “Told ya so."

Waddles released a high-pitched squeal as he leapt up and ran off around the shack as far as his chain would allow, leaving Mabel groaning upon the ground.

It was at that moment Stanley appeared in the doorway to the shack, peering out at the pair of them. He gave one glance to Mabel lying in pain on the floor without comment before speaking. “Hey kids, I made some food for ya both. Come grab it before Ford steals that too.”

“Oh, for the last time Stanley, I did **_not_** take your pie!”

Stanley turned around at the distant voice to yell back into the shack. “Oh yeah? Well explain how else the whole thing managed to vanish off the kitchen table in the time it took me to go use the can and back!”

“How should I know? I was downstairs the whole time! And you know I’m allergic to nuts, what use would I have for it!?”

“Aha! How did you know it had nuts in it if you were downstairs!?”

“Because you were complaining about the price of it at the supermarket all morning!”

As Stanley vanished into the shack with both men bickering, Mabel pushed herself up off the floor and exchanged a glance with Dipper.

“Do you think they’re okay?”

“Uh, I think so…? I mean, even we still squabble occasionally. It’s not like they’re at one another’s throats.”

“Kids! Are you coming or not?”

Each teen looked at one another once again before shrugging and walking on in. It had been a long drive up here and they were both eager for some hot food. Upon entering the kitchen they found both older men already seated down as if nothing had happened and like that their fears were put to ease. It had been five years since Stanford returned and both older men appeared to have reconciled. The last thing Mabel and Dipper wanted was for them to become estranged once again.

“Eat up kids, after this you can unpack your bags," Stanley said, handing them both plates which they swiftly dug into.

“Are you two still okay with sharing a room?” Stanford added.

Both twins exchanged confused glances, mouths already stuffed to the brim with pancakes. Dipper was the first to swallow all of his and gave a light smile. “Yeah, we’re fine with it. Why wouldn’t we be?”

Stanford hesitated as he rubbed his chin. “Well, it’s just you’re both older now and I'm aware that you have your own rooms back home. I’m fine with lending my room to one of you and migrating to the basement-"

“Pssht, it’s fine!” Mabel interrupted, throwing an arm around her brother and giving both men a grin. “I’m sure me and Dipper can survive a summer together, right Brobro?”

“Right.” He matched her smile.

It was true they were both eighteen now and had since been given their own separate rooms back home with their parents, but they were still close and sharing a room didn’t bother them even if they were different genders. They'd done it for most of their life, afterall.

Stanley shrugged as he raised another bite of food to his mouth. “Suit yourselves.”

 

\---

 

After both twins had had their fill of food, they migrated up into their shared bedroom and unpacked everything. It didn't take very long since they never brought much and left most of their possessions here to begin with.

Speaking of things they'd left behind, Mabel laid on the floor as she reached under her bed and felt around blindly. A moment later she pulled out a large bag of gummy worms.  “Aha!”

“You’re not seriously going to eat those are you?”

Mabel peered aside to find Dipper staring at her with a grimace as he pulled his shoes on. “They’ll be fine!” She attempted to pull one of the gummies out only for the entire bag full to come with it in one giant, sticky mess. “Huh.”

Dipper pointedly looked away as he shoved both arms through his jacket. “Well don’t look to me for pity when you end up with a stomach ache.”

Finally taking note of the clothes he was placing on, Mabel looked his way. “Are you going out somewhere?” That was surprising. She would have thought he'd be tired since he was the one to drive them up here.

“Yeah.”

“Where to?”

“Uh, just town.” He pointedly avoided her gaze, cheeks somewhat pink.

Mabel narrowed her eyes at his short responses before gasping and pointing a finger. “Oh my god, you’re meeting Wendy!” She knew the girl was back in town from college for the summer holidays since both she and Dipper kept in contact with the redhead and other Gravity Falls locals long-distance.

“What?” Dipper snapped his head around, looking at her in surprise. “No I’m not.”

“Then why are you blushing?”

“I-I’m not!” He slapped both hands over his cheeks hastily to hide them.

Mabel rolled her eyes as she leaned back against her bed. “Urgh, come **_on_** Dipper. I thought you were over your thing for Wendy years ago.”

“I am!” he protested. “I just-" Cutting off, he sighed in resignation and placed a hand over his forehead. “Look, whatever, I need to go. I’ll catch you later, alright?” With a wave of his hand, he turned around and left.

“See you, bro.” Mabel watched him leave before she became aware of something sticking to her front. Peering down she realised the pile of gummy worms had fallen against her sweater. Eughk-! Prying the thing off her, she stared at the compiled mess of sugar now with various pieces of yarn stuck to it.

“…Yikes.” Even she had to admit it looked unappetising now. She might have still given it a chance if she was twelve, but Mabel liked to think she'd become wiser over the years. Placing the mess back in the bag, she stood and went to throw it in the trash can by the window, catching sight of Dipper leaving the shack as she did so.

“Hmmm…” Watching him wander down the path leading towards town, Mabel eyed him thoughtfully for a moment. “A good sister would follow along and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid!” she declared aloud to herself. With a determined nod she grabbed her own shoes and raced off downstairs, passing by both Stanley and Ford in the kitchen on the way. 

_“I’mgoingoffoutsideforabittooI’llseeyoulaterbyeGrunkleStanbyeGrunkleFord!”_

Rushing on ahead before they had a chance to respond, both men remained still as they tried to process Mabel's words.

In the end Stanley shook his head before raising his mug to his lips. “I swear, that kid has enough energy to power an entire city.”

Stanford chuckled. “She certainly is one of a kind.” That said, he made sure to discretely place the jar of coffee at the back of one of the cupboards.

The last thing that girl needed was caffeine.

 

\---

 

It didn’t take long to catch up to Dipper on the pathway. Only after a few minutes did she turn around a bend and find him on ahead.

Gotcha.

_Don't worry Brobro, I'll make sure you don't make a fool of yourself._

He quickly looked over his shoulder and Mabel leapt aside to hide behind a tree, counting to three inside her head before peering back around. Dipper appeared to be looking cautiously in all directions before he veered off the path and into the woods.

“Huh?” Hadn’t he said he was meeting Wendy in town? Why would he be going into the woods? Mabel frowned as she stepped out and followed him – Detective Mabel was on the case! Using the trees for cover whenever he happened to glance back, she stealthily tracked her brother.

Unfortunately, Dipper was much more familiar with the forest than she was. A fact that proved disadvantageous to her when he took a few too many changes in direction for her to keep up with and soon after she found herself unable to find him.

Five minutes of searching with no Dipper in sight, Mabel grumbled in defeat.

He’d won. 

This time around anyway.

With a dejected sigh she turned around to walk back to the shack. Oh well. She’d watch some old re-runs of Duck-tective with Grunkle Stan and ring up Candy and Grenda to arrange a meet-up now that she was back for the holidays—

Then suddenly she saw it.

Faltering in her step, Mabel came to a complete stop as her eyes fell upon the statue up ahead. Nature had begun to claim it as one of its own, with moss and other foliage growing across its form over the years.

But there was no mistake about it.

It was Bill.

A swift breeze picked up, sending her hair flying as she pressed her lips together and hugged herself to brace against the sudden chill which had apparently chosen this one ominous moment to pick up.

Suspicious.

But it was just a statue. That was all.

Taking several cautious steps forward until she stood hovering over it, Mabel leaned forward. She swallowed before hesitantly reaching out a hand… and poking his eye.

She jumped back with both arms held up in defense.

...but nothing happened.

“Ha… of course not,” she laughed, rubbing the back of her head with an awkward smile. She really was being silly. The teen turned to leave when her eyes fell upon his outstretched hand and her gaze lingered. She should have kept going but _something_ made her stop. She couldn’t place what it was or name the peculiar feeling that swelled up inside her but suddenly the notion of leaving right now didn’t seem feasible.

“…”

Mabel turned around completely, regarding the statue silently without reaction. If there had been someone standing before her right then, they may have noted the girls eyes as appearing somewhat glazed over in that precise moment. 

Mabel stared at the statue.

And it stared back.

The wind blew more insistently.

Then, she grabbed his hand.

...

........

“…Huh.” Nothing had happened. “I guess there’s nothing—"

The scene exploded.

Or, it would be more precise to say that a blinding white light blasted out from their joined hands, accompanied by a shockwave that sent Mabel sailing backwards to collide with a tree and black out. Her unconscious state only lasted a few seconds however, and when she came to, she winced at the pain in the back of her head.

“Ow…”

Slowing prying her eyes open, her vision blurred momentarily before righting itself. There was a ringing in her ears that wouldn't go away and she could feel something warm trickling down her temple. Raising her head, Mabel took in the sight of destruction with wide eyes. Bright pink flames danced across areas of the woodland floor, licking away at foliage and nearby trees and a heavy branch fell free to the ground with a loud thud as fire ate away at it. Mabel blinked, slowly pushing herself to stand as she examined the sight.

Then she heard a groan.

Turning her head, Mabel’s eyes fell upon the sight of a—

“Oh-!” Her face flushed.

—a naked man laid face down on the forest ground. In fact, he was laid just where…

Her blood ran cold.

…He was laid just where Bill had been.

Mabel gripped her sweater anxiously before suddenly wincing as pain flared from her right hand. Raising it up, her face paled at the sight of a triangle outline burned into the flesh of her palm. Her gaze fell down once again upon the man and swallowing, she cautiously approached his form. When she was within proximity she slowly bent down and reached for his hand, wary of him waking.

Grasping his left hand, she turned it over.

“…Oh boy."

He had the very same burn mark etched into his skin.

This summer just got a lot more complicated.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I *very* recently came across the poem stated by the [Axolotl](http://gravityfalls.wikia.com/wiki/Axolotl) in reference to Bill. And, of course, decided to interpret this "different form" as human Bill.
> 
> *Chapter last reviewed: 23/04/18


	2. New Beginnings Arc: Rebirth - Part II

Mabel sat at the kitchen table of the Mystery Shack, slumped over with her cheek pressed against the hardwood whilst she stared ahead vacantly. Grunkle Stan was out and Grunkle Ford was downstairs in the lab.

With “Bill”.

Her right hand tingled at the thought of the demon and raising her arm, she brought the hand in question into her line of vision with a wary look. It was bandaged up now but she could still sense the three sided shape burnt into her flesh.

…Just how had all this happened?

 

\- - -

 

**30 Minutes Previous:**

_“GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD! WE’VE GOT A SITUATION HERE!”_

Kicking the porch door to the shack open, Mabel shoved her way in as the door rocked on its hinges. Stanley was seated in the living room directly adjacent and almost jumped out of his skin at her entrance before looking over with a disgruntled grumble. “Urgh, Mabel! What is it-"

His eyes landed on her.

He stared.

She stared back.

Mabel had never seen Stanley make that sort of noise before but the sight of your eighteen-year-old great-niece supporting an unconscious naked man wasn’t what you usually expected to see. The explosion had also left her clothes somewhat singed and the bump on her head from colliding with the tree had caused blood to trickle down her forehead. She looked quite a sight.

His feet pounded against the wooden floors as he rushed over, raising a hand to his head in clear panic. “Mabel, what the fu-"

_“Stanley!”_

Both turned their heads as Stanford appeared from down the hall, frowning at his brother in disapproval. “Watch your language in front of the kids.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, totally!” Stanley scoffed before throwing out an arm to gesture towards the scene before him. “Ford, have you not noticed the giant naked elephant in the room!?”

Stanford blinked, before his gaze finally fell on Mabel and her, uh, “companion”. “Mabel…?”

Mabel’s entire face was red. She was beginning to feel dizzy from all the blood in her head. She’d considered leaving the guy (who was possibly a dream demon in disguise) in the forest and coming back to grab both Grunkles first-hand. But, if this really _was_ Bill then it was probably ideal not to leave him alone. Also, a small part of her felt that leaving a naked unconscious guy in the middle of the woods wasn’t a nice thing to do. After all, what if she was wrong and he _wasn’t_ a demon? Then she was just being mean.

Curse her good heart.

“I can explain!” she blurted, dropping the guy onto the floor with a ‘smack’ in the process. She winced slightly at the sound but he didn’t stir so it was fine. Probably.

“Mabel, is your head bleeding?” Stanford asked abruptly, coming forward. His eyes examined her with concern. “Your clothes look slightly torn as well.”

“Wait, what?” Stanley straightened up, regarding Mabel as well. A few seconds passed before his face became thunderous and he smacked a fist into the palm of his opposite hand whilst glowering down at the man. “Oh if this loser ain’t already dead, I’m gonna-"

“Wait, wait, wait!” Mabel yelled, waving her hands frantically before this misunderstanding got out of control. “I’m fine! He didn’t-! I only look like this because of the explosion-!"

**_“Explosion!?”_ **

“Um. Okay, rewind a little bit.” Thinking head on, Mabel. Let’s get the story straight. “So Bill-"

**_“Bill!?”_ **

She rubbed her temples. Cm’on Mabel, get your brain together! “Okay…” Deep breath in, she could do this. “I was just walking in the woods and following Dipper and then I lost him! So I started walking back here but then I came across Bill’s petrified form and I’m not really sure why but I grabbed his hand-“

This time Stanford was the one to make an inhuman noise.

“-and then there was this giant kaboom!” She mimicked the explosion with her hands, almost slapping both men in the face in the process. “When I came to, the statue had vanished and, um… in its place was…”

They all looked down.

“…this guy.”

The young man didn’t look very omnipotent and powerful. He looked quite the opposite, in fact. He was scrawny to the point where his ribs could be seen poking out and some of his hair was also singed from the explosion.

“This is… Bill?” Stanford breathed before shaking his head rapidly. “No, no, no! It can’t be, we _erased_ him! We destroyed him along with Stanley’s mind!”

“Yeah but… I’m still here,” Stanley added after a moment, looking deeply troubled as he regarded the unconscious figure. “If I got my memory back… don’t you think it’s possible that bastard would find a way to return as well?”

Both brothers looked at one another, exchanging a silent conversation. Mabel stood unsure of what to do, clenching her fists and-

“Ow!”

“Mable? What’s wrong?” Stanford asked quickly, both men turning back to her.

Mabel winced at the pain that had flared up. She hesitated for a moment before raising her right hand to show her palm to them with a weak smile. “Um… I also got this after the explosion. He has one too!”

Stanford held her hand gently, examining the fresh burn mark with lips pressed tightly together. He then crouched down, picking up the young man’s left hand and regarding the parallel injury.

“…What do you think, Ford?” Stanley asked.

Ford stood up straight, rubbing his chin as he thought for a moment. “…It could be him.”

Mabel felt queasy.

“God dammit. Let’s kill the fucker again then-!”

“Stanley!” Ford yelled, shooting him a sharp look.

“No, don’t you tell me to shush!” Stanley snapped, jabbing a finger in his direction. “I’m not putting any of our family at the mercy of that demon again. If there’s even a chance this guy could be Bill then we need to get rid of him-!”

“And what about Mabel?” Stanford shot back, turning to face his brother with his own glare. “We don’t know what those marks mean. For all we know, he could have done something to her! Or worse, any attempts of injury on him could affect her too! We have no idea what we’re dealing with here, Stanley! We can’t be rash!”

Mabel took a small step back, eyes flickering between both men as they yelled. She suddenly felt like she was thirteen again, watching her two Grunkles fight and argue and unable to do anything. Her gaze briefly dropped down to Bill. He wasn’t even awake to do anything and he was already causing this much trouble!

However when she raised her head back up a moment later they seemed to have come to some sort of reluctant agreement.

“Okay, fine. Look, you deal with _this_.” Stanley nudged the body on the floor none too gently with his foot. “I’ll go search for Dipper and bring him back here. He was in the woods, right?” It was quite annoying that 90% of the time they didn’t receive mobile phone signal out here and couldn’t just phone her brother up. “Mabel, come with me.”

“Wait-" Stanford interrupted, placing a hand on his brothers shoulder. “I think Mabel should stay here. I want to check her over.”

“Nrgh.” Stanley shot him a dirty look before throwing his hands up in the air. “Fine! But don’t you dare let her get hurt.”

“Of course I won’t!”

Grumbling, Stanley turned and walked past them all to leave the shack. He never looked Mabel’s way but he did place a hand on her head as he passed, ruffling her hair in an affectionate if not hasty manner. The door slammed shut loudly behind him.

An awkward silence followed.

Stanford broke it with a sigh. “I hate when he gets like this…”

“Grunkle Ford…?”

“Hm?” Stanford looked her way, he must have noticed her forlorn expression because he did his best at a reassuring smile. “Ah, it’ll be okay, don’t worry. Now, I just want to quickly check…” He stepped forward towards her, grabbing her shoulder before he brought out a pen flashlight. Mabel was confused before he suddenly shone it in her eyes and she flinched away.

“Hey-!”

“I’m sorry, Mabel. I _have_ to check!” Grabbing her chin tightly, he forced her to look into the light. She shut her eyes on reflex but he appeared to have seen all he needed as he released her with a pat and pulled away. “I apologise. I had to-“

“See if I was possessed. I know.” She gave him a weak smile which he returned.

Stanford peered down at the unconscious figure. “Alright, I’ll take him down to the lab and have him contained whilst I run some tests. If this really is Bill, we don’t want him being able to wander freely.” He picked the man up with much more ease than her. Mabel quickly averted her gaze with pink cheeks to avoid seeing any more ‘giant elephants in the room’.

“Oh, your hand-"

Stanford looked between Bill and her hand, looking slightly conflicted. On the one hand he wanted to treat her but he was clearly anxious about getting Bill in confinement. Mabel smiled and made the decision for him.

“It’s alright, I can take care of it myself with the first aid kit in the kitchen. Go down to the lab, Grunkle Ford.”

He was unable to hide the relief in his expression. “Alright. Wait up here for Stanley and Dipper.”

“Mhmm.”

 

\- - -

 

And now here she was.

Pushing herself to sit up straight, Mabel turned and glanced out the window with a concerned frown. It was getting dark outside, where were Grunkle Stan and Dipper? They hadn’t gotten tied up with some other creatures of the forest, had they?

Chewing her lower lip anxiously at the thought, she only paused for a moment before hopping off the chair and deciding to go look for them. Padding through the shack, she approached the porch door only to have it thrown open at the last second.

Both she and Dipper stared at one another in surprise from opposite sides of the threshold.

She was the first to break into a relieved smile. “Dipper, you’re back-"

_“What were you thinking, Mabel!?”_

Her voice died in her throat as his expression quickly turned hostile, marching towards her with a glare. She back-pedaled several feet until she bumped against the wall behind, opening her mouth to reply but given no chance to speak.

“It’s Bill. **_Bill!_** ” he snapped, throwing his arms out in clear aggravation. “What on earth would provoke you to shake his hand? You _know_ how he works! Why, after everything we’ve been through would you do something so stupid-!”

“Oi, kid.” Stanley hadn’t been far behind Dipper, and he quickly stepped forward to place a hand on the boys shoulder to hold him back. “Maybe you should back off a bit, alright?” He gave a concerned look Mabel’s way who was currently staring down at the floor with shoulders slumped. 

Dipper shrugged the hand off, turning to glare up at the older man and directing his anger at him instead. “How can you say that? You know as well as we do how serious Bill is! And she just went and brought him back-!”

“Dipper. Knock it off.” Voice leaving no room for argument, Stanley narrowed his eyes. The two men glared at one another for a long moment before Dipper released an aggravated huff and left in the direction of the shop, likely going to find Stanford in the lab. Stanley watched after him with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.

The moment he was out of ear-shot, Mabel sniffled. “I’m sorry…”

“What?” Stanley looked back towards her, eyes widening in alarm when he realised she was crying. “Ah, hey hey! Don’t cry, pumpkin. He doesn’t mean it, alright?”

Mabel raised one of her sleeves, wiping her eyes and nose with it. It was all her fault. She hadn’t meant to do any of this. Why had she shaken that statues stupid dumb hand!?

“Hey…” Taking both her shoulders, Stanley peered down at her gently. When she looked up at him, he gave a weak smile. “It’ll be okay. We’ve got two sets of Mystery Twins.”

“Yeah…”

“Dipper will be fine, just give him a little time and then you can both make up.”

Mabel nodded, wiping away any remnants of tears. Right. She and Dipper had been through worse. They'd be fine.

Stanley paused for a moment, not sure what else to say. In the end he settled for asking, “wanna watch some Duck-tective reruns?”

At that Mabel did grin, releasing a small laugh. “That sounds fun.”

“Heh. Alright, let’s do it!”

 

\- - -

 

 

After four hours of watching silly television, Mabel retreated to bed at Stanley’s insistence.

“Stanford will deal with Bill. You don't need to worry about a thing," he’d reassured her.

Mabel couldn’t help but feel as if they were all pushing her aside. On Grunkle Stan's part she knew he just wanted to keep her out of danger but with Grunkle Ford she had the feeling he didn't want her meddling and making any more mistakes even if he'd never admit that. Same with Dipper.

Speaking of Dipper, Mabel looked across to the other side of the room as she climbed into bed. He wasn't here. She hadn't seen him or Stanford since they'd both left for the laboratory. 

She made a mental note to seek him out to make up with tomorrow.

With a sigh she turned off her lamp and rolled over in bed to close her eyes. Tomorrow would be a better day. 

Tomorrow.

With that optimistic thought in head she fell asleep…

…only to be startled awake several hours later.

Staring ahead blankly at the ceiling, Mabel then blinked and turned her head. Dipper was in his bed. A glance at the clock showed her it was well past 5am though. Why had she woken up?

A tingling sensation in her hand startled her. Raising her injured hand, she paused before unwinding the bandages and staring at the burn mark with a perturbed frown.

Why was she getting the compelling feeling she suddenly had to go down into the lab? 

“Hah… no thank you.” Laying back down in bed she turned over and shoved a pillow over her head. Nope.

The tingling continued however and as time passed it increased in intensity to the point it was almost painful.

“Nnnnngh-!” Sitting back up, she glared down at her hand. “If I go downstairs, will you let me sleep?”

The hand didn’t reply. Which made sense since it was, y’know, a hand. If it **_had_** replied then she would be worried.

Hopping out of bed and shoving her bunny slippers on, Mabel paused as she looked across to Dipper. Should she wake him? Knowing Dipper, he’d probably tell her it was stupid to even consider going downstairs. Mabel didn’t want him any madder at her after today.

...But she felt as if she _had_ to go down there. It was the only thought in her mind right now. If she didn't go, the thought was going to eat away at her.

“Sorry Dipper,” she whispered in the end, sneaking out of the room and down the stairs. She passed by Stanley's room, hearing the unmistakable sounds of his snoring coming from within. On her way down the hallway she passed by a mirror and almost blanched at the sight of how many knots were in her hair from sleeping - oh god. Not to be distracted from her goal however, she reached the vending machine and quickly input the password before grabbing the elevator down to the underground floor. Stepping out into the lab, she peered around cautiously, feeling like some sort of stealthy spy on a mission.

She caught sight of Stanford slumped over at his desk, a pen still held loosely in his hand as he slept and various papers strewn out before him. Mabel grabbed one of his coats from a nearby hanger and gently placed it over him with a smile.

Now, where was he keeping-

“Oh.”

-Bill.

Mabel stared at the large glass cylinder currently holding the demon captive, the frosted glass thankfully leaving his anatomy somewhat blurred. He was still unconscious and slumped against the glass, and as Mabel approached she noted moonstones, mercury powder and unicorn hair positioned around the machine to keep him trapped. It also looked as if Stanford had connected various wires and IVs to him, nearby monitors showing changing diagrams and flashing numbers which she didn't really understand. It all looked rather complicated and scientific.

Standing before the whole setup, Mabel cocked her head to one side and frowned. Oookay, she'd followed her compelling intuition and come down here.

“Now what?”

Bill's eyes suddenly snapped open and she let out a yell and leapt backwards.

 ** _“Now,_** _”_ a voice spoke, ** _“we begin anew.”_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry! I know you were all likely wanting Bill in this chapter. I promise you'll recieve him next chapter onwards. But the Grunkles and Dipper are just as important in this story! Their relationships with both Mabel and Bill will be vital to later developments.


	3. New Beginnings Arc: Rebirth - Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is certainly getting a lot more attention that I expected! To be honest I was actually rather intimidated by how many of you seem to have gathered an interest and as a result I kept rewriting this chapter - hence the wait.
> 
> There’s still no concrete update schedule for this but I’m hoping to aim for once or twice a month – ideally the second but no solid promises. 
> 
> Enjoy the third chapter.

When Mabel came to she was lying face-down on the floor of the laboratory. Several loud alarms blared in succession and as the teenager forced her eyes open and turned her head, she took in the sight of the wreckage around her.

The nearby glass cylinder had been completely shattered, with broken glass shards littering the floor and IV lines and wires hanging limply. There was no sign of Bill inside it. The various monitors lining the walls had their screens cracked or broken, and those that were still functioning continued to flash red warning signs upon their displays. The wooden floor boards that made up the ceiling had been partially blasted away to leave a singed hole where she could faintly see into a dark room in the shack above.

The place looked as if a small bomb had detonated.

“Ah-! Grunkle Ford!” At the sudden though of her Grunkle, Mabel bolted up-right and twisted her head around towards the direction of his desk. The man was several feet away from the desk where he had originally been seated and was now laid on the floor with pieces of debris littered atop him. It looked as if he’d attempted to come her way only to be knocked out by a falling board of wood. Mabel's heart lurched into her throat at the sight of his unconscious form and she moved to go towards him only to find herself prevented by something trapping her right hand. 

Dropping her attention downwards, Mabel blinked at the sight of a scrawny hand gripping her own tightly. Eyes tracing the length of the arm attached to the hand showed her “Bill” who was currently laid beside her on the floor, a few fresh scratches now adorning his skin.

He groaned.

Oh no.

Mabel quickly yanked her hand back only to let out an abrupt "ouch!" as a sensation of what she could only describe as static electricity flew through the palm of her hand when their skin was no longer touching. She quickly scooted backwards, eyeing him warily as she held her right hand clasped to her chest. Her eyes remained fixated on the blond as his face twitched and she tensed. Eyelids parted to reveal warm, brown eyes and after a moment he slowly moved his arms to push himself up, grunting at the action which was apparently somehow difficult for him.

Placing a hand to his forehead with a resigned sigh, the young man then paused and pulled the hand away to stare at it with a perturbed frown. He then looked down at the rest of his body, eyebrows drawing together.

Glass shards clinked as Mabel moved over them in an attempt to inch further away.

He snapped his head around to stare at her.

She froze.

Silence stretched out between the pair as their gazes remained locked onto one another, her expression full of alarm and his currently taken with suspicion. Gradually however, the sharp look on his face faded as recognition flashed in his eyes. “Shooting Star...?” His voice was raspy. It reminded Mabel of her grandfather on her mother's side that she and Dipper sometimes visited in the old nursing home. He'd smoked cigars almost every day of his life and as a result his voice had been left hoarse, with each word sounding as if his vocal chords were rubbing up against sandpaper.

Despite that however, if she’d had any doubts about this being Bill before, the simple nickname uttered from his lips eradicated them all. She felt queasy. Like she was going to throw up. (Or maybe that was the three packets of Doritos she ate last night?)

Bill squinted at her. He cleared his throat once then twice, his voice only somewhat fixed by it. “Why the hell are you…” He trailed off before suddenly stiffening as something seemed to come to him. Deciding she'd had enough being in such close quarters with this guy Mabel planted her hands on the floor and pushed herself away.

"Hey, don't you run away from me!" He darted an arm out as if to grab at her. Oh hell no. Mabel kicked her bunny-clad foot against his hand and leapt to her feet successfuly as she turned ready to flee.

"Oi! I said get back here you stupid brat- oof!”

At the sound of an audible thud after she'd taken several steps Mabel couldn’t help but peer back to find him face-planting the floor. Muttering several profanities under his breath as he pushed himself up, Bill raised his head to pinpoint her with narrowed eyes. “ ** _You_** _,”_ he hissed through his teeth, lips stretching into something manical. “You took my hand in the forest-!”

“Uh…” Mabel took a hesitant step back before a loud cry sounded from above and interrupted them. Tilting her back, Mabel was greeted to the sight of two figures leaping down from the hole in the ceiling. The smaller of the duo landed on both feet from the short fall but the other swore in pain as he fell ungracefully on his back. There was an audible crack.

Mabel winced.

Then, wait, she recognised those two-

“Dipper? Grunkle Stan?”

She stared at the two in surprise. Both were still dressed in their nightwear though they now both wore bulky belts adorned with weapons and tools (and on Stanley's part he was also now wearing pants too, thankfully).  Dipper had turned to offer a hand to the older man and help him up, the latter muttering under his breath as he rubbed at his back. At her voice however both men turned to look at her.

“Mabel!” Relief flooded through Dipper’s face as he rushed forward, throwing his arms around her form to yank her into a hug. “You weren’t in your bed when we heard the explosion! We thought, I mean I didn’t- I was worried, dammit!”

Mabel stood motionless for a moment, caught by surprise. When his words sunk in however, her expression relaxed and she threw her arms around him in return. Dipper released a small ‘oof’ at her tight grip but didn’t complain. It may have only been a matter of hours that they hadn’t been speaking to each other but for her it had felt like an eternity.

She’d missed him.

Mabel could easily have remained embracing him for longer but the thought of a certain demon who was being eerily silent made her tense and suddenly yank away to turn back around. “Wait, there's-"

He wasn’t there anymore.

“Looking for me?”

All three of them span around to find the blond crouching down besides an unconscious Stanford, a hand grasped tightly around a brightly coloured gun-like weapon that he held against the mans head. Mabel didn’t know where he had found the weapon but knowing Stanford’s creations, it didn’t shoot just any ordinary bullets.

“Bill!” Dipper yelled, face twisted into pure hatred.

“Hands off my brother, you bastard!” Stanley roared, hand reaching for his belt.

“Ah, ah, ah, hands in the air where I can see them,” Bill scolded, lips stretching into a coy grin. His voice was still gravelly, but the more he spoke the more normal in tone it seemed to become.

Dipper clenched his fists as they all reluctantly raised their hands in the air in clear view. “How did you even escape? It should have been impossible!”

“Why don’t’cha ask Shooting Star, there? She was the first one on the scene.”

Mabel faltered as both males looked her way.

“Mabel…?” Dipper asked, gaze searching.

Finding herself suddenly the center of attention, Mabel lowered her arms slightly and waved waved them in front of her. “Hey, don't listen to the evil triangle - I didn’t do anything!” A pause, and her steely gaze faded and her voice grew quieter. “Or, I… I mean, I don’t think I did…?” To be completely honest, she didn’t know. The last thing she recalled was standing before the glass cylinder.

Then nothing.

Just a blank and unsettling void in her memories between then and waking on the floor.

“Don’t listen to him, Dipper,” Stanley warned, watching the demon with a murderous look. “He’s just trying to turn us against one another.”

“And you make it so easy! It’s hilarious!”

Dipper gave her one last look before turning to face the blonde once more. “How are you even back? We erased you!”

“Oh cm’on Pine Tree, you should know it takes more than that to get rid of little old me! Hahahaha- ghyack-!” The demon released a strangled yell as he suddenly found himself flung to the floor on his face, his hands forced behind his back as Stanford pressed him into the floor with his weight.

“Grunkle Ford!” Dipper and Mabel yelled, smiles appearing simultaneously.

Stanford glared down at Bill with a look of disgust. There was a large lump already forming on the side of his head from where he'd been hit. “Dipper, fetch me the handcuffs from my desk drawer. Stanley, turn the sirens off.”

“Right!” Dipper maneuvered around the debris and headed towards the drawer, whilst Stanley muttered a “gladly” and approached the monitors. After a few button presses, the alarms thankfully halted although Mabel could still hear the sound echoing in her ears.

Meanwhile, Bill continued to struggle beneath Stanford.

“Hah! You think some handcuffs can restrain me? Did you forget just who I am? Your pitiful attempts-!"

“These handcuffs are made of arquerite and have been soaked in the toxins of amanita phalloides and inscribed with ancient runes used by the ancient Germanic tribes of Futhark,” Stanford explained, taking the item from Dipper and locking them around the demon’s wrists so tightly they dented his skin. "You won't be getting out of these so easily." 

“Oh yeah? Well I’ll kick your face! Nnrgh!” He tried to move with no succession.

It was almost pitiful to watch.

“He seems so… weak,” Mabel commented.

“I’m not weak, I’m a powerful and omnipotent being who’ll wreck your life!” 

“Are you sure?” Mabel quirked an eyebrow. “You look pretty underwhelming right now.” It was hard to be frightened of a naked scrawny guy who looked ready to keel over any minute. 

“It’s still Bill,” Dipper argued. “Looking like that could just be a trap by him. Trying to make us drop our guards.”

“Ha, Pine Tree gets it! This is all totally a trap concocted by me!”

Mabel’s frown deepened. “But if it was a trap why would he tell us?”

“Hm," Dipper gripped his chin in thought. "Unless he knew we’d figure out it was a trap and therefore think it wasn’t a trap..."

Stanley scowled. “Or maybe he knew that we’d know that it was a trap-“

“Alright, I’m gonna cut you all off there before it gets annoying,” Bill interrupted with a flat look. “As much as I’d love to hang out and catch up on old times, I’ve got other places to be. So let me go now and I _won't_ burn this place to the ground."

"You're in no position to be making demands," Stanley spat. 

"Those handcuffs nullify any magic. You're powerless," Stanford added.

Bill's face twisted, looking as if he'd suddenly tasted a sour grape.

 

Keeping a knee pressed firmly against the demons back, Stanford reached for the gun Bill had dropped in their struggle. Picking it up, he turned a few dials on the contraption before aiming it at the demon’s head.

Bill’s face morphed into panic. “Hey, wait wait wait! Don’t shoot! You can’t shoot!”

"The tests I ran on you confirmed you aren't using a human vessel," Stanford said in a calculated manner. 

"You tried to kill us plenty of times in the past," Dipper added on with an unforgiving gaze. 

“Because! I… nnghn...” He grit his teeth, looking panicked and conflicted.

“Because what?” Stanford asked, not looking as if he actually cared what the demon had to say.

“B-Because I’m a human!” Bill spat. "There! You happy? I admitted it for you idiots!"

Silence.

“You… don’t actually expect us to believe that, right?” Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

Stanford’s expression hardened. “Goodnight, foul demon-"

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm telling the truth! Scout's honour! Don't shoot-!"

He went to press the trigger-

**_“WAIT!”_ **

Everyone turned towards Mabel who had taken a few steps forward, alarm written across her face. With four pairs of eyes on her, she gripped at her shirt and twisted the material in her hands nervously. She couldn't believe the words that were about to tumble out of her lips but-

“What if… he’s telling the truth?”

Dipper blinked. “You’re kidding right?”

Mabel pressed her lips tightly together, matching his gaze unwaveringly.

“Mabel!” he yelled, giving her an incredulous look. “How can you believe that demon?”

“I don’t!” she snapped. “I’m just _saying_ there’s a chance!” 

“Kids, kids!” Stanley yelled, stepping forward and placing a hand on Mabel’s shoulder. She averted her gaze away from Dipper, pouting as Stanley looked down at her. "Mabel, you alright? Did you hit your head before we came down here?" He went to feel her head but she pushed his hand away with a frown.

"My head's fine!"

“Never thought I’d say this but you should all listen to Shooting Star.”

“Shut up!” Stanford snapped, pressing the nuzzle of the gun into Bill's temple harder. "Mabel, you don't know what you're saying."

"But Grunkle Ford-!"

"Dipper, check her eyes."

"I'm not possessed!" she yelled, raising her voice in frustration. 

"Mabel, it's Bill," Stanley coaxed, placing a hand on her shoulder once again. She peered up at him. His words were the same as Dipper's but more gentle in tone. "We can't trust him."

“I know that, I…” she faltered, dropping her gaze with a frown. “I just…” She sighed, unable to put her thoughts into words properly. “I just feel like he could be telling the truth. I don’t know why.” She knew it wasn't logical and there was no real way to explain her sudden faith in the demon - for a moment she did wonder if she was possessed in some way, but it wasn't as if she was suddenly on Bill's side. She just didn't think they should be killing him off without at least exploring the possibility he'd suggested.

But finding a way to explain that to these guys was difficult. Stanford and Dipper were science geeks. They liked cold hard facts. They didn't like 'maybes'. 

 

There was a pause before Mabel raised her head and looked towards her brother, his expression guarded.

She could try though.

“Dipper, do you remember our first year at high school?”

He blinked, before frowning in confusion. “What?”

“Someone graffiti’d on the high school gym wall. Everybody said it was Jake from our year but I was the only one who said it wasn’t!”

Dipper sighed. “Yeah, because he complimented you once and you liked him-"

“And it turned out it wasn’t him!” she went on, eyes blazing and refusing to let him interrupt her. “It was that senior Alexa instead!”

“Mabel-"

“And I was the first one to realise that our cousin was stealing money! Everyone said there was no way but I was right-!”

“Mabel!”

“And when mom and dad were having problems and I mentioned divorce, you said it couldn’t happen!”

“MABEL!”

“BUT IT DID!” she yelled, face flushed and eyes blazing.

Everyone remained silent in the wake of her statements. Stanley squeezed her shoulder tighter whilst Stanford frowned, continuing to stare down at Bill. Even the demon stayed uncharacteristically quiet, perhaps because he knew that Mabel was the only one making his case and to hinder her would be idiotic.

Dipper stared back at her, several emotions swimming in his eyes. He closed them however and took in a deep breath, recomposing himself before he reopened his eyes to give her a resigned look. “What’s your point, Mabel?” His voice was quiet.

“My point…” Her expression softened. “My point is… I’m not stupid. I know sometimes people think I am but I’m not. You rely on facts, Dipper. Well, I rely on feelings. And right now my feelings are telling me that he's speaking the truth and that to kill him would be the wrong decision.

"I’m not saying I trust him – _because I don’t._ ” She sent the demon a sharp look to which he simply smirked before she returned her attention back to her brother. "But if he's somehow human, then there must be a reason for that."

Dipper opened his mouth to retort but she beat him to it. 

“Dipper, trust me.”

He clamped his mouth shut at those three words. After a moment he sighed, raising a hand to rub at his temples. “Mabel…” Saying nothing for a moment, he eventually looked to her once again and groaned. “Don’t give me that look.”

“What look?”

“The puppy-eyed Mabel look.”

“I’m not.”

He glared at her but it didn’t hold any serious intensity to it anymore. She continued to gaze at him and after only a few seconds he threw his arms up in the air. “Fine! I trust you - you’re my sister and I’m trusting you! If you want to put faith into what _he's_ saying then I’ll go along with it!”

Mabel was unable to fight the large grin that broke out across her face.

“Dipper,” Stanford warned, looking over towards the boy. "Remember what we-"

“I still want to punch the fuc- sucker," Stanley interrupted. "And I will, if he steps a toe out of line. But, I'm with you too kid." He patted her on the shoulder, releasing a sigh that showed he wasn't entirely on board with this. But Mabel's words had resonated with him too. He'd been through a lot with her. If she was this determined and asking them to trust her then how could he say no?

Mabel gave him a small smile. 

That just left one...

“Grunkle Ford…” She peered over towards him. He wasn’t looking her way, and his lips were pressed into a thin line.

“Three against one,” Bill said, lips stretched into a smug grin beneath the man.

Stanford scowled, expression hard.

And then he fired the gun.

“No!” Mabel yelled, eyes widening in alarm.

“STANFORD!” Stanley yelled, expression thunderous. “How could you-!"

“It was a stun gun,” Stanford supplied calmly as he moved to stand up. “He’ll be out for three hours at least.” Raising a hand to his temple, he winced as he touched the large bump that had formed there.

Mabel relaxed somewhat when she saw Bill was still breathing. She still felt like she'd just had a mini-heart attack however.

"You couldn't have warned us?" Stanley grunted, glowering at him. Stanford simply shrugged, clearly not all that happy with the events but he hadn't killed Bill so... things had still turned out okay?

There was a long pause.

“Sooooo… what now?” Dipper asked what they were all thinking.

Before anyone could respond an audible rumble sounded.

Mabel’s face flushed when they all turned to face her and she gave a sheepish smile, placing a hand over her stomach. “Heh heh… sorry.”

“Nah, you’ve got the right idea,” Stanley said. “Let’s grab you kids some breakfast.”

“How do we get out, the elevator got busted in the explosion,” Dipper replied, which explained why he and Stanley had entered from the ceiling.

“I have something that will help,” Stanford stated, casting Bill a cautious look before he approached a cardboard box pushed up against a wall. Opening it up, he rifled through several pieces of clutter before finally pulling out a certain item that made Mabel’s entire face light up as if both her birthday and Christmas had come together at once.

“Grappling hook!”

 

\- - -

 

Mabel shoved another spoonful of the cereal 'Overly Sensitive Owl' into her mouth, the sounds of chewing and the clinking of cutlery against bowls being the only sound to disrupt the early morning. She looked aside at Dipper who was currently stood near the counter preparing some waffles.

She swallowed what was in her mouth and spoke up. “Hey, don’t forget to put extra chocolate syrup on mine!” 

“Yeah, I didn’t forget.” He came over and dropped a plate in front of her before taking the seat opposite. Stanford was still down in the lab, cleaning up the place and securing Bill again. Stanley had taken breakfast down to him whilst also working on fixing the elevator. Going through the ceiling was fun and all, but it wasn't very secret for a supposedly secret laboratory.

Nobody had asked Mabel why she had been down in the lab in the first place yet, though she was certain it would only be a short amount of time before they did began plying her with questions. There was a lot left unanswered.

Mabel glanced across at Dipper, watching him without subtlety as she ate. After a while Dipper seemed to notice her scrutiny, raising his head look at her with a raised eyebrow.

_‘Yeah?’_

She paused before offering a weak smile.

_‘Are we okay?’_

He stared at her for a long moment and she actually began to feel nervous before he eventually smiled back at her.

_‘Yeah, we’re okay.’_

He then proceeded to raise his fork and shove a piece of his own breakfast into her mouth. She released a small choke as she sputtered and sent pieces of waffle flying across the table and he laughed before making a disgusted yell when one landed on his face.

They were okay.

 

\- - -

 

Bill scowled as he found himself tied to a chair with straps holding his neck, torso and limbs in place. They left room for little movement and Stanford had taken great pleasure in explaining they were also enchanted to repel magic. There was also some odd helmet attached to his head which was linked to various monitors via wires.

Honestly though, the weirdest thing they'd placed on him were the checkered boxers.

His fingers tapped rhythmically against the metal arms of the chair, eyebrows drawn together whilst he stared ahead in deep thought. His mind was a hectic void of incomprehensible insanity to begin with but the events of these past few hours had been enough to add even further ingredients to that volatile mix.

He wasn't happy.

He wasn't happy at all.

Brown eyes flickered aside to regard the two elder Pines as they spoke in hushed voices at the other side of the lab out of earshot. Sixer was very keen on running all manner of tests on him, his expression shifting between caution and curiosity.

Stanley, meanwhile, just looked like he constantly wanted to punch him.

The Pines, like any humans, were predictable in most of their actions.

…Although, he would admit he hadn’t foreseen Shooting Star vouching for him.

 _That_ was interesting.

Out of the four of them, she was the most viable for being easiest to manipulate in aiding his escape from this god forsaken place.

He may have an - _urgh_ \- human body, but he was still a demon at heart. And manipulation and trickery came like second nature to his kind.

It had been a long time since he messed around with a Pines head.

This should be fun.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t underestimate her, Bill.
> 
> I hope the final product of this chapter was satisfying enough for you, and that all the characters seem IC so far. Bill knows things and As for Mabel, there *is* a reason for her illogical faith in Bill's words. But, that'll be explained later on.


	4. New Beginnings Arc: Unseen - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the large break inbetween chapters! I've been in hospital for a while and still am infact - but I finally got hold of my laptop so here we are with a new chapter I whipped up in six hours. (I'll be updating my other MaBill story sometime within the next upcoming days). Thank you so much for the kudos and comments! You guys are great!!
> 
> Also I’ll admit, I made a boo-boo. I forgot that Soos took over as owner of the Mystery Shack at the end of the series with Melody helping out. I’m just… going to retcon that part in this story and say it never happened unless I can come up with a believable and non-winded explanation as for why that’s no longer the case. (^_^;;)
> 
> revised: 01/03/2018

“Alright, you’ve passed all the tests I’ve run and it’s been three days so… I’ll allow you to go outside.”

“Hell yes!” Mabel leapt out of the chair with such force it went clattering to the floor. Throwing her hands in the air with a loud cheer, she proceeded to do a celebratory dance in the middle of the kitchen. Stanford watched her with a sigh although there was a twitch of his lips as much as he tried to hide it. A moment later Mabel came to an abrupt stop in her celebration and span around to jab a finger in his direction. “Without supervision?”

A pause.

“ _Cm’on_ Grunkle Ford!" Planting both hands on the table, she leaned over it and gave him a pleading look. "I put up with all your questions and passed all your tests. Do you really think I’d be able to sing over 20 songs of boyband Two Directions from memory if I was possessed?” A pause. “Do I have to go through their songs again? Because there’s still like 30 more-“

 _“NO!”_ he yelled, holding his hands up in alarm with a suddenly pale face. When she looked at him he cleared his throat, readjusting his turtle neck. “No, I… I believe you, Mabel.”

She grinned at him, coming around the table to throw her arms around him in a hug. “Thank you, Grunkle Ford.” She pulled back. “For everything. It means a lot.”

He gave a small smile of his own. “Of course.” If it was up to him he would have preferred to keep Mabel in the house where he could continue to supervise her but Stanley had argued against it. Plus, it was hard to say no to the girl when she turned those warm, brown eyes on you in such an imploring manner. It was no wonder she got away with so much.

“I’m gonna go phone Candy and Grenda!”

The teenager rushed out of the kitchen, almost slipping on the floor in her haste. Stanford watched her leave before taking a sip of his coffee. He should get back down to the lab and relieve Stanley from guarding Bill.

 

\- - -

 

When Mabel got off the phone with the two girls, she looked at the clock in the main room. It was past noon. Dipper had allegedly gone off into town early in the morning but Mabel had her suspicions about that - she hadn’t forgotten how he’d vanished off into the woods a few days ago when she tried to follow him.

There was something going on there and she’d find out what it was.

Mabel frowned to herself at her brother’s odd behaviour before she heard the sound of a vehicle outside. Going towards one of the windows, she peered outside and her face lit up.

“He’s here!”

Running through the shack, she burst out of the main door just as a figure was raising his fist to knock. She collided into him full speed only to bounce right back off his stomach, landing on her butt a few feet away.

“What the- oh, it’s Mabel!”

Mabel jumped to her feet and flashed him with large smile. “Soos!” Before she could react the older man had her in a bear-hug, squeezing her tightly as he raised her body a few inches off the floor.

“Man, it’s so good to see you!” he chuckled. “I gotta say, you _look_ bigger but it still feels like I’m just holding a bag of grapes.”

As he placed her back down on the wooden floorboards, he ruffled her hair affectionately.

“How’s Melody?”

“Oh, she’s cool. She makes me a packed lunch for work every day, even though I don’t ask her to- it's great. She just does it because she says she loves me.”

“Awwww.” Mabel clasped her hands in front of her, stars in her eyes. “Look at you in a serious and committed relationship!"

Soos chuckled, cheeks slightly pink as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarssment.

Mabel grinned. "When’s the wedding again?”

“Next July. After Melody graduates.”

The teen squealed, bouncing on the spot slightly. She was going to be the most beautiful bridesmaid ever.

“Hey, Soos.”

Both of them turned their heads as Stanley entered, looking tired with dark circles beneath his eyes. Soos wasted no time in trying to hug the older man much to his chagrin.

“Yeah, yeah. You brought your tools?”

“They’re in my brand new customized van, Mr Pines.”

Mabel peered out the still open door to look at the van in question. It had Soos’ face painted upon it with the name ‘Mr. Fixit’ splashed in large bright letters and contact information below.

“Great, grab them and follow me. I’ll show you the hole.”

Mabel stood aside and watched as Soos headed out to fetch his stuff with Stanley following to have a look at the van. Even if he pretended he didn’t, he obviously cared for the young man and was proud he’d created a small business. (Even if it had only come about from Abuelita sadly passing away and leaving a small fortune to the boy).

She followed the pair into the small store room where the hole was. There was a rope ladder that lead down, something left over from before they fixed the elevator just last night.

“Wowzah, that’s a big hole. I’m gonna need a lot of wood for that.”

“Can you fix it?”

“Sure, I might need to pop into town though and get a few extra planks of wood though.”

“Urgh, can you do it today?”

Mabel peered down the hole and into the lab below. The fall wasn’t that far, only about ten feet. Turning her head, she glanced in the direction where she knew Bill was being confined twenty or so feet out of sight.

She pursed her lips together.

“Mabel!”

She turned her head to find Stanley giving her a look. He paused before saying, "be careful, the last thing I need is you breaking an ankle.”

She flashed him a smile. “I won’t.”

He grumbled before turning around and leading Soos back out into the hallway.

Mabel gave the hole one last lingering look before leaving as well.

 

\- - -

 

Soos co-erced Stanley into going into town with him, clearly eager to spend some time together since he now lived a few hours drive away with his fiancée. Just the thought of Soos marrying someone made a giddy smile appear on her face. It was so cute. It seemed only yesterday she’d been teaching Soos how to not send a girl screaming the other way in fear.

How fast they grew up.

Mabel was just in the middle of making some sandwiches when a thought occurred to her. Five minutes later she was climbing down the rope ladder and landing on two feet.

“Mabel, what are you doing down here?”

She turned around to find Stanford approaching her. Digging into the backpack she’d brought along, she pulled out a small container. “Lunch.”

He stopped abruptly, eyebrows knitting together at the sight of it.

“You need to eat, Grunkle Ford,” she admonished, knowing he’d hardly been sleeping or eating the past few days. Those dark circles beneath his eyes were getting bigger.

For a moment it looked like he wanted to argue but he simply sighed in resignation and took the container. “Thank you… now you should get out of here before-“

“Did I hear food?”

His face soured. “Before that.”

Mabel turned her head to find Bill in very much the same position he had been the past few days. If Stanford looked bad, he looked worse. He’d looked starving to begin with, but now he looked tired on top of it. The various wires attached to him didn’t help the sickly looking image either.

She frowned at the sight.

“Silence,” Stanford ordered.

Bill's eyes fell on Mabel. “Hey, it’s-"

“I’ll gag you again.”

Bill clamped his lips shut, shooting the man a dark look.

“You are… feeding him right, Grunkle Ford?” Mabel asked, looking up at him. She didn't want her Grunkle starving the guy - even if it could be argued he did deserve that and worse for his past crimes.

“Of course.” He frowned as if she’d insulted him. “I’ve got him on total parenteral nutrition.”

“Parent-what?”

“It means he’s feeding me through tubes stuck in my arms,” Bill remarked which earned him a warning look from Stanford. The man then took Mabel by the shoulder and guided her further away where they couldn’t be eavesdropped on.

Mabel’s frown deepened as they walked. “Why can’t you feed him like a normal person?”

“Because he’s _not_ a normal person.”

Mabel stopped walking, looking back towards Bill. She knew he was evil. She knew that. But she couldn’t help feeling some form of pity when he looked like that. 

“Mabel,” Stanford called her attention back. “Don’t be fooled by him. He _wants_ you to feel sorry for him.”

“I know, I know. It's not like I'm on that jerk's side or anything," she replied firmly. And she wasn't. Mabel may be nice but there were some things even she couldn't forgive. She'd spared Bill's life but that kindness only extended so far. "Although... can't you put some clothes on him, Grunkle Stan?" Her cheeks pinkened slightly. "How would _you_ like just being in your underwear?” Not only was it awkward for her but it was much colder down here in the lab than it was upstairs. If Mabel hadn't been wearing a sweater she'd be freezing. 

Stanford sighed. “Mabel-"

She suddenly perked up.“You know what, let me talk to him for a few seconds. I just want to-"

“Mabel!” Grabbing her by the arm as she began walking away, he pulled her back. “Don’t be silly.”

“Trust me.”

He faltered at those words and the gaze she was giving him, his hold on her loosening. After a moment he sighed in resignation. “Fine, but I’ll be watching.”

With a nod she turned around and laid her eyes on the blond. His head was hung down but she knew he heard her footsteps approaching. When she stopped five feet away he raised his head, eyes meeting hers. 

Neither of them said anything, staring at each other for a long time.

She hadn't planned what to say. There was some part of her that had been curious and wanted to see the demon - former-demon? - up close and so she stood a few feet away and observed him silently. From this proximity she could see that he actually had light freckles dotting his nose and cheeks, barely noticeable in the lab light. 

She would have thought he was like any other ordinary human if not for his eyes - his eyes gave him away, the emotions reflected in them weren't those you'd seen in a normal person.

"Ya see something you like?"

Mabel blinked, breaking out of her observations to find him watching her with an arched eyebrow. When the insinuation of his comment finally sunk in she flinched away and made a face. "Gross, there's no way I'd like a jerk like you!"

He chuckled, the sound reminiscent of his demonic laughter years ago. His voice was slowly getting better. Days ago he'd sounded raspy but the more he used it, the more similar to his old voice it became. 

"The things I look for in a guy are much more tasteful than anything you could have," she remarked, folding her arms pointedly. "No past attempts in trying to take over the entire world is the bare minimum."

"Well shucks, looks like I'm out of the running!" he mocked and she glared at him. 

"Unless..."

Mabel paused as he tilted his head aside and examined her. Stanford who had been seated in a chair watching the spectacle from nearby frowned at the change in Bill's demeanor.

A Cheshire-like grin suddenly stretched its way onto his face and he released a deviant chuckle. She took a cautious step back before pausing, it didn't matter what he said - nothing he could say would make her suddenly change her mind about him.

“Hey Shooting Star, why don’t you tell me about your favourite ponies and boy bands?”

Stanford jumped up from his seat. “You little-!”

“Really?” Mabel gasped, eyes widening in delight.

“Mabel, no, don’t listen to him!”

 

 

\- - -

 

Mabel groaned as she leaned across the diner table, her stomach protesting loudly. “So hungryyyyy…”

“They should be bringing the food out soon,” Candy supplied from her seat opposite in the booth as she examined the deserts menu.

Mabel pouted as she peered at her two friends. They’d all met for dinner together at Greasy's Diner after arranging it earlier over the phone. (Apparently the place had a new cook who was super amazing so Mabel was curious to test out the food). It was great to see her two friends in person after so long, the hug they’d shared when first meeting had lasted for over three minutes.

“How’s Dipper?” Grenda asked before taking a swig of her drink.

“Dip-Dot? He’s…” She trailed off before suddenly sitting up right. “Oh yeah, that’s right!" She leaned forward, frowning and lowering her voice. "He’s totally acting weird lately, sneaking off by himself. I think we’re gonna need to put on our detective hats, girls. Before this summer is over I want to know just what broski’s hiding.”

“Oooh, I love mystery!” Candy gushed, clasping her hands together in clear delight. “I am very good at sneaking up on people too.”

“Hell yeah, stealth mission!” Grenda yelled, slamming her fists against the table just as their food was delivered.

Mabel practically salivated as she took in the sight of the pile of pancakes dripping with honey and strawberries, all thoughts of Dipper banished. As she took her first bite, Mabel swore her heart skipped a beat and she released a blissful sigh as she sunk into her seat. "Is it possible to fall in love with food?" Oh God, this food was heaven. The new cook was definitely a God. She would create a religion for this.

"I'm going to marry this burger," Grenda declared, smooching the food in question and earning a laugh from the other two girls.

As Mabel continued to enjoy her dinner, her thoughts briefly turned toward Bill who hadn't had any food at all. Just a small IV hooked up to his body that pumped nutrients into his body directly. There was no joy in that. He may be a colossal asshole but he should still have the bare minimum of human rights such as food, right?

She swallowed the food in her mouth with a frown.

“Mabel? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, nothing!” She forced a laugh as her two friends gave her concerned looks. “I was just… I feel sad for everyone else who doesn’t get to taste this.” Which was true.

“True. I wonder if the cook is a man?" Candy wondered aloud. "If he is, one of us could marry him and then we could have access to this food 24/7."

"Dibs!" 

"No fair Grenda, you already have Marius!"

"If he tastes this food, he'll understand."

As her two friends bickered, Mabel place another forkful into her mouth whilst chewing thoughtfully. She tried to keep the blond out of her thoughts but it proved difficult.

Curse her good heart.

 

\- - -

 

When she returned home early that evening, Soos was just finishing patching up the hole with Stanley’s supervision. Mabel passed by them on her way from the kitchen as Stanley called out to her.

“Oh hey, Mabel. You know where your brother’s gone to?” 

She paused, taking a few steps back to peer at him in the store room. “Dipper? No. He’s not back yet?”

Stanley shook his head before shrugging. “Eh, he’ll show up.”

Mabel wasn’t so easy to dismiss Dipper’s absence. Hm. She’d have to call in Candy and Grenda’s help sooner rather than later in that regard. Suspicious.

Walking on, she approached the vending machine in the shop area and hopped onto the now fixed elevator as she descended to the basement. When she stopped off into the lab, Stanford looked up at her arrival from his desk and frowned. “Mabel, you-"

“Dinner time!”

He blinked at the container she handed to him before smiling. “Thank you.”

She smiled back before passing by him.

“Eh? Mabel, where are you-“ He turned around in his chair as she paused and glanced back at him, showing the other container in her hands.

“I made one for Bill, too.”

He stared at her in surprise before his expression darkened. “Mabel-"

"I _know_ he's dangerous, Grunkle Stan," she cut in. "But it's cruel to refuse even an asshole like him food. And it’s _only_ food, he can’t do anything from just this.”

The man’s gaze remained cautious. “Very well, let me-“

“You eat your dinner. I’ll deal with this.” Turning around before he could argue, she walked out of the office are and through the lab. She could hear the hammering from above belonging to Soos' but it seemed the hole was now completing covered and just being secured into place. Approaching Bill, he was in the same spot as before though he was now dressed at least – even if Stanford’s sweater and pants were oversized and baggy for him. He raised his head as she came nearby, though she noticed it seemed to take some effort for him to do so. 

“Here to talk about ponies?” he drawled.

“Nope, though if you do want to talk about that I’d be happy too,” she replied as she placed the small lunchbox down on a nearby table beside him. His eyes followed her movements with curiosity.

Pulling the lid off the container, she displayed its contents. “Tah dah! I brought pancakes.”

He stared at her.

She stared back.

“You know what they are, right?”

“Of course I do! I'm not stupid, you brat-!"

Taking a fork out of the container, she stabbed it into the food before extending her arm out to hover it in front of his face. His expression turned sour and she kept her happy smile in place. It was a little amusing having a formerly omnipotent demon being treated like a child.

“Say ‘aah’.”

Oh, he was definitely glaring at her now. If looks could kill.

“Mabel, I think you should step away,” Stanford warned, watching the spectacle nearby with concern. His hand had moved to a gun-shaped weapon on his belt.

“It’s fine,” she replied dismissively as she pushed the food against his lips. “Hey, open up.”

His eyes narrowed and there was a brief stare-down before she managed to shove the food past his lips - he wasn't very strong right now, after all. He released a small choke as she pulled her fork away and beamed happily. “See, easy!”

Stanford had an indescribable expression on his face.

Coughing several times, the food none the less went down Bill’s throat. “Ghk- What the hell are you... you…” He trailed off, smacking his lips with a distant look on his face.

Mabel grinned coyly. “Tasty, right?”

His eyes flickered her way, but he said nothing.

“Alright, that’s enough. Mabel, go upstairs.” Stanford ushered her away despite her protests, leading her toward the elevator. Mabel dug her heels in however and pulled free, turning to stare up at him.

“But Grunkle Stan-“

“He’s a demon, Mabel.”

Her gaze flashed at his blunt statement, refusing to back down. She wasn't a clueless thirteen year old girl anymore. She was an adult. “But you said so yourself he wasn’t using a vessel.”

“There are still other possibilities-“

“We don’t have any idea what’s going on!” she protested, “not even you can explain what happened in the forest when I shook his hand. I can’t remember what happened the other night in the lab either, and Bill isn’t saying anything!”

“ _Exactly._ We don't know what we're dealing with here so you should stay away. Bill’s trying to manipulate you Mabel, trying to make you feel sorry for him. By doing things like this, you’re just playing into his hands.”

\- - -

 

As Mabel and Stanford spoke, a pair of calculating brown eyes watched the pair through the office window from far across the lab. Unable to hear them from this distance - cursed human hearing - he had to settle for watching their expressions and gestures. 

As much as Bill tried to focus on the two alone however, he couldn't help his mind lingering back to the taste of food in his mouth.

It had been... indescribable.

He'd tasted food when possessing humans but that was different. _This_  body and it's experiences were different. 

He already wanted more and that knowledge irritated him.

His biggest enemy was his own body which he knew little about.

His stomach growled and he tilted his head back and closed his eyes to the foreign pangs of hunger that could now no longer be sated by IV nutrients.

God dammit.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the moment, I'm splitting these chapters into 'episodes' i.e. chapter 1-3 would be one episode in itself so they are all called 'rebirth'. The same should apply for future installments. Episodes will also fall under 'arcs'. The current arc should last until chapter 8 or 9 and cover two or three episodes depending on how I decide to format it.
> 
> Lastly! As always, please comment and let me know what you think - even if it's just a keysmash, I'll take it. If you have any questions feel free to ask, I'll answer all queries.


	5. New Beginnings Arc: Unseen - Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had planned on posting this at the weekend but I'd stated on my tumblr that if I somehow reached 30 reviews before then, I'd update earlier so here I am keeping to my word. (Check out my tumblr if you want to see WIPs of future chapters and misc MaBill drabbles).
> 
> I've revised Mabel’s dialogue in the lab scenes in the former chapter – it wasn’t sitting right with me - and changed the title for this episode from 'naiviety' to 'unseen' since it ended up going in a different direction than I originally planned. Apologies for the changes!
> 
> Lastly, I’m posting this and chapter 6 at the same time! Both of these chapters are a build up towards the climax of this arc which spans chapters 7-9 and I felt it was better to post them together than stand-alone since I want to get this first arc wrapped up by April. The relationship between Mabel and Bill may be a slowburn - a _very _slowburn - but I can certainly help it along by updating frequently.__

Dipper closed the kitchen window shut – _again._ He wasn’t sure who kept opening the windows in the shack (his guess was Mabel) but even if it was summer, it still got cool in the early mornings and evenings. He quickly rubbed his arms in an attempt to rid them of the goosebumps that had begun to surface upon his skin.

He was tired. It was difficult to sleep properly when Bill Cipher of all things was within the shack just a few feet below. Grunkle Ford seemed insistent on keeping him away from assisting in his research of the demon and it was infuriating - he was an adult now, he could help! 

Suppressing a yawn behind his hand, the boy walked over and opened one of the cupboards only for his eyebrows to pitch together.

“God dammit, Mabel.”

Now she’d gone and stolen his cookies even though he’d specifically told her they were his. He’d even written his name on them in marker!

Maybe he should hide her “secret” candy stash in revenge.

As Dipper was pondering how to get back at his twin, Stanley walked into the kitchen and disrupted his thoughts with a grunted, “hey, kid.” Heading towards the fridge, he took out the carton of milk and placed it directly toward his lips. Gross.

Dipper made a face at the unhygienic action. “Seriously Grunkle Sta _aaaahhhhh what the hell!?”_ Releasing a not-so-manly shriek, he leapt back in response to being suddenly sprayed with milk.

Stanley simply grimaced, wiping the back of his mouth and bringing the milk carton up to his face as he examined it with squinted eyes. “Urgh, milk’s gone bad already?”

“I just took a shower!” Dipper yelled, holding his arms out as his jacket and shirt dripped onto the tiled flooring. His nose crinkled at the foul smell. “I’m supposed to be meeting Wendy with Mabel in an hour!”

“Hm?” Stanley examined his great-nephew with a critical eye before snorting. “Yeah, might wanna have another one.” Walking past the younger boy, he left the kitchen with a twinkle of amusement in his eye. “You stink.”

Dipper grimaced as he stood there in ruined clothing. He sometimes questioned the love he held for his family.

“Urgh.”

 

\- - -

 

“Oh Grunkle Stan, if you’re going downstairs here’s Grunkle Ford’s lunch for later.” Mabel handed the container over to the man as they bumped into one another in the main room.

“Huh? Oh, sure.” Taking the lunch box, he held it up to examine the contents. “Ya spoiling my brother, Mabel. You should let him come up and make his own food for once, the lazy git- I mean, guy.”

“But it’s fun!” She grinned and bounced slightly on the spot before leaning closer and lowering her voice to a whisper. “This time, I put in a secret Mabel ingredient to give it a special flavour.”

Stanley paused, giving the contents of the lunch another, warier, glance. “…Right.”

“Do you want some too? I could make more.”

“No!” he yelled, holding up a hand with wide eyes. “No, no, I-I'm fine Mabel. _Really._ ” The last time he’d tried one of the girls ‘lunches’, he’d been on the can for days.

“Your loss. Me and Dipper are going out to see Wendy soon, so we’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, have fun.” Ruffling her hair in an affectionate manner, when he tried to pull his hand away Mabel let out an abrupt ‘ouch!’

“What the hell?” Stanley frowned as he found his fingers tangled within her hair. “What the- have you got glue in there or something!?” A few seconds passed before he managed to yank his hand free, giving her a look of incredulity.  

Mabel gripped at her hair, giving a sheepish smile. “Hehe… I haven’t brushed it properly this morning yet. It’s sort of knotty.”

“ _Sort of?_ I could lose a finger in there.”

She laughed again awkwardly. Ever since she’d arrived at the shack earlier that week, she kept waking with multiple knots in her hair. She’d hypothesised the stress of this whole Cipher situation was causing her to move about in her sleep than usual – and she was a fidgety sleeper to begin with!

Stanley shook his head and muttered something to himself before he walked on past and headed over towards the lab elevator in the shop. After Stanford’s words of warning yesterday she was hesitant to go downstairs again so soon – it was the reason she’d added that extra ingredient this time around as an attempt in making up.

 

Pushing those thoughts aside for now, she headed towards the kitchen.

As soon as she stepped through the door however her nose crinkled in distaste.

“….Ew, what’s that smell?”

 

\- - -

 

“Wendyyyyy!”

Mabel tackled the older girl in a tight embrace as she caught sight of her standing outside the town diner. The redhead was only caught off guard for a moment as she stumbled back at the force of her hug before she then laughed and embraced the girl back. “Heyyy! Oh wow, you’ve got a tight grip. Still doing those judo classes?” The girl glanced above Mabel’s head to spot Dipper and gave him a wave. “Hey, Dipper. You not getting in on this?”

"Eh? Ah, uh, I'm not sure that's aa _aghh_!!" He stumbled as he was yanked into a group hug with the two girls.

Wendy squeezed them both one final time before releasing the pair and stepping back to examine them with hands on hips.

“Aw man, you guys get taller every time I see you,” Wendy mused, eyeing the pair closely. "Which of you is taller one now?”

“That’s-"

“Still me!” Mabel sang, slinging an around her brother’s shoulders with a triumphant smile.

Dipper gave her a disgruntled look. “By half a centimetre!”

She booped his nose. “Still counts.”

Wendy smirked at their antics. “Alright, should we go on in? I’m starving and you seemed eager to come here on the phone this morning, Mabel.”

“That’s because she a crush on the new cook,” Dipper explained as they stepped in and the bell above them rang. The place seemed busier than usual and it was by sheer luck that they caught a free table in the back.

“Oh really?~” Wendy asked, shooting Mabel a coy look.

Mabel snorted, trying to act casual as they quickly grabbed their seats before someone else could. “Oh please, I haven’t even seen the guy yet.” A pause. “ _Buuuuut_ if he’s as heavenly as his food then consider me smitten.” She gave a dreamy smile at the thought. Mabel had been so distracted by this whole Bill fiasco going on that she’d barely had time to scope out the cute guys in town yet. She’d have to try and sneak a peek at this José guy sometime – she knew his name at least after asking Lazy Susan about it yesterday whilst here with Candy and Grenda.

Wendy chuckled, resting her head on one hand as she gave them a wistful look. “God, I’ve missed you guys. It’s been what? Six months? I think it was winter break the last time I saw you two.” They kept in touch over phone and the internet of course but it wasn’t the same. “Sorry I haven’t been to see you guys sooner this week, I was out of town camping with the family. We only got back last night.”

Mabel blinked. “But I thought you met up with Dipper the first day we got back.”

Dipper shot her a look. “ _You_ made that assumption. I never said it was true.”

“Well maybe if you told me what you were _really_ doing, I wouldn’t have to guess,” Mabel chimed back with an arched eyebrow before turning toward Wendy and jabbing a thumb in his direction. “This guy keeps leaving the house and not telling anyone where he’s going, it’s weird right?”

Wendy blinked. “Huh? Oh, uh…” The girl gave an awkward pause and she glanced briefly at Dipper before shooting a smile at Mabel and rolling her eyes. “Pssht, teenage boys always wander off by themselves. It’s not that weird, trust me. Anyway, what are you guys ordering?”

As the older girl quickly directed their attention to the menus, Mabel dropped her hand and leaned back in her chair as she gazed between the two in quick succession.

She couldn’t believe it.

Wendy was covering for Dipper.

Raising her own menu, she partially concealed her face as she eyed the pair covertly over it, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“The plot thickens…”

“Hm, you say something Mabel?”

“Uhh, I said I want thick waffles!”

 

\- - -

 

Stanford dabbed a handkerchief over his forehead as he rearranged the wiring to one of the machines he’d hooked up to Bill. Ever since he’d made the mistake of eating the lunch Stanley had given him, he’d been plagued with sweating and vague nausea – if he’d known Mabel had made it from the beginning, he would have been more hesitant in touching the food. Dammit, Stanley.

The man looked a mess. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and he hadn’t changed his clothes in over forty-eight hours, so intent on continuing his work. His examinations of Bill had been bringing him enough information to fill three notebooks already. Most of it was ordinary stuff that one would expect in a human body, but every now and again there was a small anomaly that gained his attention. He was close to figuring something out – he just wasn’t sure what that ‘something’ was.

Standing back up, he wiped his forehead again. He was exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep yet.

“Oi Sixer, what’s a guy gotta do to get a bathroom break?”

He sent the source of his exhaustion a glower. Bill gave him a toothy grin.

Ignoring his attempts at goading, Stanford grabbed a nearby book and scribbled down various notes. He should invest in some noise-cancelling headphones.

Bill pouted. “Aw, you’re ignoring me? After everything we’ve been through together? I know I did a few bad things but people can change, y’know?”

“You’re not a person,” Stanford hissed back before he could stop himself, slamming his notebook closed.

Bill opened his mouth to make some witty retort before he paused and then settled into a cocky smile. “Is that what you think? Why don’t we get a second opinion, then? Shooting Star’s here with your dinner right now.”

He sent Bill a confused look. “What are you-“

The sound of the elevator dinging suddenly reached his ears, accompanied by a familiar voice.

“Grunkle Ford?”

Stanford blinked and turned his head to look across the lab toward his office before his attention snapped toward Bill, eyes narrowing in suspicion. There was no way to hear the elevator descending from this distance.

How had he…?

Dismissing that thought for now, he quickly headed back towards the office space before Mabel could enter the main lab area. His rushing was for nought however, Mabel stood waiting patiently by his desk. Dipper was with her this time too.

“Ah, both of you.”

Mabel shot him a weak smile as she offered him a lunchbox. She seemed somewhat unsure in her actions. He wondered if his scolding yesterday had something to do about it – he had a feeling that was the reason she’d avoided coming down herself this morning. 

None the less, he regarded the lunchbox dubiously and tried not to flinch at the sight of more food after this morning’s fiasco. “Uh, thank you very much dear but I’m not hungry-“

“It’s from the diner,” Dipper quipped in, as if reading his thoughts.

Stanford paused at that. “...It is? You didn’t make this yourself?”

“Not this time.”

“…I suppose I could stomach some more,” he replied eventually, clearing his throat as he accepted the lunchbox. Mabel sent him a wide and grateful smile whilst Dipper pretended to rub his nose to hide the smile on his lips. The boy then stepped forward and glanced at Stanford’s hazardous deskspace and the papers scattered across it.

“Have you made any progress, Grunkle Ford?”

Stanford sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Not as much as I'd like."

"Maybe I could help you out. Two heads are better than one, right?" His tone was casual but it was obvious his offer was serious.

 

“I appreciate the assistance but as I said before it isn’t needed, Dipper. I’d prefer to keep you two upstairs away from him,” Stanford replied, sitting down at his desk and sending them both a placating smile. “It's getting late, why don't you both go wash up?"

Mabel paused at that and suddenly looked sheepish. “Um… I actually have something else.”

“Hm?”

Reaching into the small satchel bag slung around her shoulder, she pulled out another, smaller lunchbox. “I sort of… brought some food for Bill, too.”

Stanford’s smile vanished in an instant.

Dipper folded his arms and sighed. “She has this stupid plan.” 

Mabel pouted at him. “Don’t introduce it like that!” Returning her attention to Stanford, she held the second lunchbox up with a bright smile. “I bet you if we keep plying that jerk with José’s food for a few days and then hold out on him, he’ll start going crazy for more and cave in and give us information in return. This stuff is addictive and I bet you he’s already aching for more after that bite yesterday. I know that if I had to go more than a few days without the diner food I’d go crazy, hahaha!” Her laughter went on for a bit too long and Dipper scooted away from her slightly with a concerned look.

“I doubt Bill would divulge information for food, Mabel," Stanford deadpanned.

“Well, demon Bill obviously wouldn’t,” she replied easily with a roll of her eyes, “but he’s different now. He’s got a human body! Human bodies are weak to delicious food!” She said the statement with such ease and conviction, Stanford couldn't help but frown.

“Maybe that’s why you stole my cookies,” Dipper shot in.

Mabel sent her brother glare. “I told you I didn’t touch them! You probably ate them already and just forgot.”

“I did not-!”

Ignoring their sibling squabbling, Stanford cut in. “Even if Bill’s physical form changes, his insides are still black and twisted, Mabel. You can’t treat him like a human.”

Her expression faltered at that, but she said nothing.

He reached out a hand and placed it gently on her head. “Stay away from him, dear.” A demon with such darkness in his non-existent heart would only corrupt someone as innocent as her. “You too, Dipper.” He sent the boy a look as well. Dipper looked as if he wanted to argue but a glance to his sullen sister and he held his tongue. 

Stanford pulled away. “Go back upstairs, both of you.” He went to turn away but then added, “and thank you again for the meals, Mabel.”

She nodded, lips briefly twitching up into a hint of a smile. “Bye, Grunkle Ford.” Both twins left and Stanford noticed she left the second lunchbox on his desk.

She really was too kind for her own good sometimes.

\- - -

 

Bill watched from his position through the office window as the Pine twins left. As they did so, his eyes focused on the back of Shooting Star’s head as he noted the sight of two knots within her hair.

He smirked.

 


	6. New Beginnings Arc: Unseen - Part III

Bill tapped his finger rhythmically against the metal arm of the chair, humming to himself. It was the only distraction he had from annoying thoughts such as how he wanted more of that delicious food Shooting Star had given him a taste of a few days ago. (It also annoyed Stanford which was all the more reason to continue it.)

A shadow moved in the corner of the lab. His finger ceased moving.

Turning his head, brown eyes stared into the darkness where various boxes had been piled near a ventilation duct. No further movement occurred but his gaze still narrowed.

Hm.

“Interesting~”

“Silence, demon,” Stanford’s voice snapped as he glowered at him from a few feet away. Sixer had been doing some observations regarding his own body which involved blood tests and more brain scans. Boring. The man returned his attention to the screen before him for a moment before appearing to nod to himself and step away. He began heading towards the elevator.

“Aw, leaving already? And here I was having such a fun time!”

The elder man shot him a disgruntled look. “Don’t even think of trying anything, I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Bill shot him a sparkling smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it! Tell Shooting Star I said hi if she gets back.”

Stanford gave him another, darker look laced with suspicion. Very amusing.

Eventually he left and Bill sighed as he leaned back in his chair. His gaze returned to the shadows but there was nothing there.

Not anymore.

 

\- - -

 

Mabel walked down the street, an ice pop hanging from her mouth as she carried a plastic bag full of minor groceries. Dipper had stolen her bag of Doritos last night – even if he did deny it – so she needed an emergency refill.

“Hey, Mabel!”

“Hm?” Turning her head, the girls face lit up at the sight of her friends as she quickly removed the ice pop from her mouth. “Ah, hey girls!”

The pair shot her mirrored grins as they met up with her on the sidewalk.

“We were just on our way to come see you at the shack,” Candy explained. “We have takeout from the diner.” She gestured to the backpack she was carrying.

“Aw, thank you!” Mabel gushed. That saved her a trip to the diner herself. “We totally need to have a hangout sesh’ gushing over the latest boy bands at some point.”

“Why not now? We can go to your place,” Grenda said.

Mabel opened her mouth to agree before she suddenly thought of a very blond former-dream demon currently trapped in their basement.

Maybe not.

“Uhhhh… Or! Or we could… _not_ do that!” Mabel suggested, forcing a smile.

Grenda and Candy blinked.

“Why not?” Grenda asked.

Mabel tried to think quickly. “Because I – uh – wanted your help in…. oh! Following Dipper! Right? Remember I said that yesterday? That was a thing I totally said 100%!”

She mentally patted herself on the back for her believable lie. Good going, Mabel.

Thankfully for the brunette, her friends believed her (somehow).

“Oh yes! It is time to be sneaky?” Candy asked, pulling up her jacket as if to partially conceal her face.

Grenda fist-pumped the air. “Hell yes, let’s do this!”

Mabel laughed at their antics before realising, oh, right, she had to go through with this lie to keep them away from the shack.

“Where is your brother right now?” Candy asked.

At the shack. But she couldn’t say that. She was meant to be keeping them _away_ from there.

“He’s – uh – in the woods.” A pause. “Yeah.”

Grenda looped arms with both girls at her side. “Let’s go, Detective Squad!” She began storming forward with Mabel and Candy in tow. Mabel was so caught off guard, she dropped her lolly onto the pavement as they headed toward the woods.

So much for a quiet afternoon.

 - - -

 

“Grunkle Ford, I can help! You’ve seen some of the work I can do, let me assist.”

“Dipper, I told you, I don’t want you or Mabel anywhere near Bill.”

Dipper grit his teeth. “Is this because I was out of the shack for a bit? I wasn’t just playing hooky, I had some time so I checked out the woods where Bill’s statue used to be-“

Stanford snapped his head around. “What?”

“-and there’s a weird energy surrounding that area,” Dipper finished. “I borrowed one of your particle detectors and the readings were unusual. It was picking up traces of magical energy.”

The elder man’s eyebrows pinched together. “Did you note down the readings?”

“Of course, I’m not stupid.” He handed over the notebook in his hand, allowing Stanford to read his scribbled writing.

“There’s high traces of particles comprised of components you’d find in another dimension there,” Stanford muttered, rubbing his chin.

“I brought one of branches back that got burnt in the blast, I thought we could examine the burn residue,” Dipper added, holding up a ziplock bag with a small tree branch within it.

Stanford stared at the bag and then at Dipper’s hopeful gaze for a long moment. He may not have the puppy-eyed stare down like Mabel did, but his eagerness for research was like a tantalising persuasion to Stanford all on its own. After a while he sighed. “…Alright, you can assist me a little bit.”

Dipper broke into a large grin.

“We’ll start tomorrow, bright and early.”

 

\- - -

 

Mabel sat down on a rock, wiping sweat off her forehead. Phew. It was rather hot today. It was getting late in the day so the sun should be going down by now but it was still sweltering. She was worried about the groceries in her plastic bag. “Urgh… how long have we been walking?” Her face felt hot and she hadn’t applied any sun cream today since she hadn’t planned on staying out so long. She was definitely going to suffer.

Candy pushed hair out of her face, her cheeks rosy red. “By my calculations I would estimate two hours?”

Mabel groaned louder.

“Cm’on girls, we can’t give up yet!” Grenda yelled despite the sweat causing her hair to stick to her face. “We’ve gotta hunt down Mabel’s brother. Think Mabel, where could he be!?”

“But Grendaaaaa…” Mabel whined, flopping onto the forest floor. She pressed her cheek against the grass. Ah, it felt cool against her skin. That was nice.

As Grenda and Candy exchanged words, Mabel stared across the woodland ground blankly until-

“Huh?”

Pushing herself up, the teen blinked and stared on past between a set of trees. Lips tugging into a frown, she eventually stood up completely and wandered over. Her sudden movements caused the other two to look over and follow her curiously.

Coming to a stop after ten or so feet, Mabel bent down and picked up the empty cardboard box from the ground and examined it with curiosity.

“Chocolate chip cookies?” Grenda read aloud, peering over Mabel’s shoulder.

“These are Dipper’s cookies,” Mabel said, eyebrows pinched together as she turned it over and saw his name written on the box in black marker. (Pssht, as if that would have kept her from having them).

Grenda took the box and reached a hand in only to groan. “Urgh, it’s empty.”

The trio of girls stared at the box with frowns before a crunching noise interrupted the quiet woodland air. Three pairs of eyes wandered over to a nearby bush.

A moment later, they pulled the foliage aside to reveal a petite figure munching away on a cookie in bliss. Upon being discovered however, he froze.

Mabel’s face transformed, eyes narrowing. “You!”

The figure squeaked. “You!”

He tried to escape but Grenda was quicker, grabbing him in both hands and holding him aloft in the air. His struggles were no match for the girl’s vice-like grip.

 ** _“Jeff,”_** Mabel hissed, pointing a finger at the gnome in suspicion.

“Urgh, what do you want with me!?” he yelled, legs kicking uselessly in the air.

“So you’re the one who’s been stealing our food!” Mabel accused, planting her hands on her hips. It made sense now. Heck, the very first day she’d arrived here Stanley had been going off about a missing pie.

“What? Hey, what’s with the finger pointing!” Jeff yelled, shooting her a glare of indignation.

The three girls glared down at him and his ire faded as he found himself out-numbered, swallowing thickly. “L-Look, I didn’t steal your food, alright!? I found that box left on the floor with a few cookies left in it, so I helped myself! There’s nothing wrong with that! Ground food is up for grabs, those are the rules!”

“You really expect us to believe that?” Candy asked, arching an eyebrow.

“It’s the truth!”

Mabel sighed, rolling her eyes at the gnome’s antics. She _hated_ gnomes. Ever since the altercation she’d had with them when she was 12 years old and they’d tried to forcibly marry her off as their Queen, she hadn’t been left with much love for the small men.

“Alright, _fine_ ,” she said, voice filled with exasperation. “If you didn’t take our food, then who did?”

Jeff opened his mouth to reply before the words died in his throat, face turning pale and expression going slack.

Mabel blinked at his reaction before noting his attention was fixated on something _behind_ them.

Oh no.

Each girl slowly and cautiously turned to peek behind them.

Their ensuing yells echoed throughout the woods.

 

\- - -

 

“Oi, Dipper.”

The boy jumped in his seat on the sofa, hurrying to change the channel over from the cheesy romance sitcom he’d been watching. “Uh, y-yeah Grunkle Stan?”

“Have you seen Mabel anywhere?”

“Mabel?” Dipper blinked. “No, why?”

“It’s getting dark and she’s still not back. She said she was only popping into town for some groceries.”

The boy frowned. “No, I haven’t seen her since this morning.” It wasn’t that big of a deal for Mabel to be missing for most of the day but after everything that had happened involving the _thing_ downstairs, they were slightly on edge when it came to prolonged absences regarding his twin.

“Hmm, alright.” Stanley left, a troubled look in his eyes as he did so.

Dipper was left with an equally uncalm façade, unable to focus on anything else. He rang Candy and Grenda’s house phones but neither of the girls were back yet, and when he rang Wendy the redhead hadn’t seen Mabel since their dinner date yesterday.

He had a bad feeling about this.

The hours passed by.

The sun set at 9:13pm.

Mabel was still nowhere to be seen.

The three men held a prompt meeting down in the basement within Stanford’s small office.

“This ain’t right,” Stanley said, arms folded and shoulders tense. “Mabel’s never out this late by herself.”

“I tried Candy and Grenda again, but their parents said the girls haven’t come back either,” Dipper said.

“So it’s likely the three are together at least,” Stanford said. “At least she’s not alone.”

“It’s still not right though,” Stanley snapped.

 “Stay calm, we can’t panic,” Stanford ordered. “We need to come up with a plan to find her – them.”

“But how? Our phones don’t get signal out here and they could be anywhere!” Dipper cried, unable to stop the bubble of desperation breaking into his voice.

Stanford opened his mouth to speak before he paused, then closing his mouth. Straightening up, he rubbed his jaw.

“What is it? What’s that look for, Ford?” Stanley asked.

Stanford said nothing in response, still in deep thought. Conflicted emotions flashed across his eyes before he eventually brushed by both men and entered the main area of the lab. Dipper and Stanley had no option but to follow as Stanford approached the man strapped down to the metal chair.

“Ford…?” Stanley asked, voice unsure.

Stanford ignored his brother as he stood before the blond. Bill slowly raised his head, brown eyes falling upon the three men with curiosity. Arching one solitary eyebrow, he spoke. “Oh? To what do I owe the privilege of such an audience?”

Stanley looked like he was going to retort something foul but Stanford beat him to the punch.

“Mabel is missing.”

Bill blinked.

“Grunkle Ford!” Dipper hissed, “what are doing?”

Stanford stared Bill down, gaze intense and hands clenched at his side. “We need to find her.”

Bill met the man’s glare without flinching, tilting his head slightly. “Oh?”

Stanford gave a small incline of his head in a form of a nod.

“Yes.” A pause. “You’re going to help us locate her.”

Dipper’s face went slack. “Wha-“

“What are you playing at?” Stanley snapped, taking a stride forward.

Bill gave Stanford a bored look. “You want _me_ to help?”

“Yes,” Stanford replied, expression grave. “Because you, Bill, can locate her, can’t you?”

Bill made no reaction.

“What are you talking about, Grunkle Ford?”

Stanford peered back at the two other men. “I don’t quite understand the logistics behind it yet but somehow Bill is able to pinpoint Mabel’s location. Do you deny it?” He directed the latter question toward the blond directly.

Bill stared for a long time before shrugging and giving a casual reply. “Yeah, I can track Shooting Star down, what of it?”

Stanford’s expression hardened at that. He knew it. He wasn’t sure how Bill could do it or why – a side effect of whatever had transpired in their hands joining in the forest? – but whatever the reason, it would prove vital in this moment in tracking his great-niece down.

“So, what if I can?” Bill went on. “Why the hell should I help you?”

“Oh I’ll show you why-“ Stanley threatened, pushing the sleeve of one arm up as he took several strides forward.

“Stanley, wait,” Stanford admonished before focusing his words on Bill once again. Violence wouldn’t work on this guy. He found pain hilarious. “Can’t we come to some sort of…” He paused, face twisting into an obvious grimace at his next words. “Some sort of agreement?”

Bill’s face shifted at that, lips stretching into a wide grin. “You mean… like a _deal,_ Sixer?”

“Fuck off!” Stanley yelled. “We ain’t making any deals with you!”

“Oh really?” Bill asked, appearing unphased by the man’s hostile intentions. “Not even if Shooting Star is in danger?”

All three men flinched at those words.

“What are you talking about?” Dipper asked.

Bill said nothing, only continued to smile coyly.

“He’s lying,” Stanley snapped, “he’s a snivelling, yellow-livered-“

“But what if he’s not?” Dipper yelled, staring at his Grunkle’s with alarm. “If there’s even a fraction of a chance that he’s being honest and Mabel _is_ in danger, then…”

They all fell into uneasy silence.

Stanford was the first to break it, turning his attention to Bill once more. “…What would you want in return? And don’t bother asking for freedom because that’s impossible.”

“Really, you’d choose keeping me trapped over your own family member’s safety? And they say _I’m_ cold hearted!”

Stanford grit his teeth at that.

“What about… some freedom?” Dipper hastily put in, clearly on edge. Bill blinked, eyeing the younger boy. Taking that as a sign to continue, he went on even as the suggestion made his guts twist. “We’ll unstrap you from the chair. You can wander around the shack but that’s it.” A pause. “You could arrange that, right Grunkle Ford? Something to make it so he can’t step foot out of the shack.”

Stanford turned towards Dipper and there was a pause as the two shared a prolonged look. Some unseen communication passed between the pair of them before Stanford nodded. “Yes… That’d be relatively easy to arrange.“

“Great! Then what do you say, Bill?” Dipper asked, in a hurry to get to his sibling. His ‘twin bond’ was beginning to act up and he was now certain that Mabel was indeed in danger.

Bill frowned, clearly unhappy with that response.

“It’s more than you deserve,” Dipper cut in before he could reply, “after what you did, you should be locked away for all eternity. You should be thanking us on your knees for this.”

Bill didn’t look any more pleased by that explanation. He glanced towards Stanford and the older man did everything he could to keep his face stoic. Bill was looking for weakness, for something he could grasp on to in order to weasel a better deal out of them.

After several tense seconds, Bill exhaled. “…We have a deal.” He raised his hand as best as he could in its current bound state, which was only an inch or so.

Stanford stepped forward towards him.

“Not you.”

The man blinked.

“Pine Tree, this deal is yours.”

Stanford looked back towards Dipper who looked surprised by this statement before his face settled into grim determination.

Stanley looked unhappy with this too. “Oi, Dipper, you don’t-“

“No,” Dipper cut in, setting his shoulders and glaring toward the demon. “It’s fine.” He began to approach the demon. Stanford took a reluctant step back allowing the boy to move forward towards the former demon. Once he was stood before him, both men stared at one another for a prolonged moment of time as if sizing one another up.

Eventually, Dipper raised a hand and with a soft exhale accepted the deal. He could feel the elevated ridges of the burn mark upon Bill’s hand as they shook hands.

Bill grinned. “It’s a deal.”

Nothing else happened. There was no eruption of blue flames or tingle in his hand. None the less, Dipper swallowed past the bile in his throat and snatched his hand back as quickly as he could.

“Alright, we’ve made the stupid agreement. Now you’ll lead us to Mabel, right?” Stanford snapped.

Bill stared back at the three men with their concerned expressions and smirked. “That was the deal.”

“Where is she?” Dipper asked.

Bill’s eyes twinkled. “Before I can answer that, tell me something.” Leaning his head forward, he gave them a toothy grin. “How much do you know about hobgoblins?”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we finally learn what’s to be the antagonist of this arc! If you re-read all the chapters leading up unto this, you might notice more easily small clues hinting toward the hobgoblins’ presence~ They love to play pranks. (This episodes title - 'unseen' - also alludes to it being present).
> 
> The next episode is a doozy as we reach the first arc finale. Prepare for a lot of chasing scenes, snarky Bill and Mabel getting out of tricky situations. I've already planned out the second arc to follow this. It's shorter than the first, but has lots of physical MaBill interaction ;)


	7. New Beginnings Arc: Intuition - Part I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm so sorry for the long delay in update! My laptop was broken for a month and it was a nightmare!! 
> 
> Here's the beginning of the final episode for this arc.

“A hobgoblin?” Dipper repeated, the word weighing heavily in the air between the three men.

“I wrote about those in my old journals,” Stanford muttered, grasping at his chin in thought. Of course, those journals had been burnt up to ashes by the very individual sitting before them.

A moment of thoughtful silence stretched between the men before—

— “What the _fuck’s_ a hobgoblin?” Stanley demanded, cutting through everyone’s thoughts.

“A type of fae,” Stanford explained. “They’re similar to gnomes but more meddlesome and reclusive.” Stanford frowned. “Although… that said, their pranks are usually harmless. Simple things such as stealing food and turning milk sour.”

A look of recognition passed across Stanley and Dipper’s face in the same instant.

“My pecan pie!”

“My cookies!”

Bill chuckled. “You idiots didn’t even realise you were being haunted! That uggo’s been skulking around the shack for a while now.”

“What does that have to do with Mabel though, how is she in danger?” Dipper asked, ignoring his attempt at provocation.

Bill shrugged, a lazy smile in place. “Simple deduction. The fae seemed to have a thing for her hair already judging from the knots in there. Now she’s missing and that guy hasn’t made an appearance since this morning either. Probability says your sister is dealing with a hobgoblin.”

“Let’s get this over with,” Stanford said, approaching the machine besides Bill and shooting him a warning glare. “I’m going to release you but if you step even one toe out of line, that’s it.”

Bill smiled innocently. “I’ll be sure to be on my best behaviour, Sixer! Scouts honour!”

Clearly unhappy with this turn of events but forced into a corner, Stanford removed a necklace hanging from his neck with a memory stick attached to it. Inserting it into the machine, the man began the process of entering in several passwords over a period of several minutes. When all was done and gone, there was an audible click as the handcuffs holding Bill in place flew open.

“Now, let me just-“

“Ahahaha, freedom!” Bill leapt from the chair and took two steps forward…

…only to stumble and fall flat on his face. He groaned. “Dammit.”

“Heh.” Stanley smirked.

“Stupid fallible form,” Bill muttered as he pushed himself up, grimacing at how much effort it took to simply stand. But then again, he had been seated for almost half a week and even before that hadn’t had much experience in walking.

Stanford frowned at the sight. His eyes wandered up to the ceiling where he’d placed moonstones, mercury and unicorn hair to create a shield around the perimeter of the chair. It should have prevented him from stepping outside of its area before he dismantled the charm.

Mabel’s words echoed in his mind.

_“He’s different now. He’s got a human body!”_

An uncomfortable feeling nestled within his chest. That shielding charm was effective against demons – he knew because he’d tried it out only a year or so ago when he and Stanley had come up against a foul beast in the Himalayas. The fact that it seemed to have no effect on Bill was… concerning.

Could it really be true that he was completely human now?

“Grunkle Ford? Are we going then?”

“Hm?” Breaking out of his thoughts, Stanford turned his attention on them before nodding. “Ah, yes.” He cast Bill a wary look. “We may need to assist him in walking-“

“I don’t need your help!”

“-but let’s hurry so he can lead the way to Mabel.”

Hold on Mabel, they were coming.

 

* * *

_“Mabel.”_

She groaned.

_“Mabel!”_

“Urgh, five more minutes,” she mumbled, turning over and pulling her blanket over…

…her? Where was her blanket? Frowning when she couldn’t feel it anywhere, the girl finally opened her eyes only to blink in confusion when she found herself laid inside a… cave?

“What the heck?” Sitting up right, Mabel looked around in alarm. She appeared to be within some form of narrow underground tunnel, with the walls and ceilings composed of jagged rock.

“Mabel, you are awake!”

Candy knelt besides her, her phone acting as a flashlight in her hand that allowed Mabel to make out her surroundings in an otherwise dark space. Some of the mounting panic dissipated at the sight of her friend and she quickly threw her arms around the shorter girl in a tight embrace. “Candy!”

Their hug lasted only a few moments before Mabel pulled away, expression becoming grave. “Candy, where are we?”

The girl shook her head apologetically. “I do not know. When I awoke, I was by myself elsewhere. I began searching and found you here.”

“Where’s Grenda?”

Candy’s face fell, gaze dropping to the ground and voice quiet and subdued. “I do not know.” A pause. “But I am sure she will be nearby if we look together!”

Mabel nodded. There was no need to be alarmed yet, they’d been in worse situations before.

“I’m fine too, by the way!” a third voice interrupted.

Mabel looked down and-

“Jeff?”

The gnome stood behind her, gripping at his hat nervously with both hands. “Oh God, this is bad. This is bad, this is bad.”

“Do you know what happened?”

“Yeah, we were grabbed! By that thing!”

“What thing?” Her stomach was feeling queasy.

“T-That goblin!”

Mabel thought back to the moment in the woods when they’d been grabbed. It had all happened so quickly that she’d only had a brief second to see the thing before it knocked them out. She recalled a red hat, very much like the one Jeff was holding now.

“Is it one of your guys?”

Jeff’s eyes snapped toward her, a look of indignation passing his face. “Of course not! Don’t even think of comparing our kind to that- that fiend! Hobgoblins are nothing like gnomes!”

“Hobgoblins?” Candy repeated, tilting her head.

Jeff ignored the pair of them in favour of muttering further to himself. Urgh, he was so annoying. Mabel returned her attention to the party member she actually liked. “Let’s get searching.”

Candy nodded before pausing. “By the way, Mabel?”

“Yeah?”

“You have what seems to be thirteen knots in your hair.”

Mabel raised a hand to her hair and scowled upon feeling how tangled it was. Well now she knew the cause of it. If she ever got her hands on this goblin, she’d beat his ass.

You never mess with a girl’s hair!

* * *

Bill grimaced as he did his best to remain balanced on two feet whilst stepping out onto the porch of the shack. Walking was difficult. He missed the weightless sensation of floating. Stanley and Dipper remained close to him on either side, with Stanford bringing up the rear and having a weapon ready should he try anything. Stanford had even placed the handcuffs back on his wrists which didn’t make walking any easier.

“Alright, lead the way demon,” Stanford ordered.

“Fine, sheesh.” Bill rolled his eyes before his expression calmed and he gazed out into the forest as if in thought. There was a brief pause before his gaze snapped west and he opened his mouth to speak—

“Hey!”

—only to be interrupted by a new arrival.

Four pairs of eyes turned forward to the sight of a familiar face rushing up towards the shack in the middle of the night. Dipper balked at the sight. “W-Wendy!?”

Hunching over with her hands on knees once she was near enough, the redhead huffed to catch her breath after clearly running all the way over here. “I got worried after your phone call earlier on so I thought I’d come help look for Mabel. She hasn’t showed up yet?”

“Not yet…”

Wendy’s expression was tense and she looked as if she was going to speak when her attention suddenly fell upon Bill. There was a pause as she regarded him before speaking. “Uh, who’s this?”

Dipper, Stanley and Stanford collectively thought ‘shit’.

“Uh-! This is... he’s, ah…” Dipper floundered, turning to look at his Grunkle’s with pleading eyes. _Think of something-!_

“Who, this guy?” Stanley asked, jabbing a thumb in Bill’s direction as he stalled for time.

“Yeah, him,” she retorted, giving the guy an odd look. “He looks familiar, have we met?”

Bill cracked a smile but before he could respond, Dipper cut in hastily—

“He’s related!”

Wendy paused. It was pretty obvious something weird was going on here but she wasn’t able to yet place what it was exactly. She looked between all their faces in succession before eventually returning her gaze to Dipper who was smiling a bit too much for it to be genuine. “Related…?”

“Yeah! What Dipper said!” Stanley added in loudly, internally wincing.

“This is… William,” Stanford said, blurting out the first name that came to mind which happened to be the name ‘Bill’ was a nickname for. Although, Stanford was certain the demon had never used it as a nickname. The man in question smirked in amusement at the fake name. “He’s my- our-“

“He’s our aunt’s – uh – great-grandson,” Stanley interrupted, sweating internally. Shitshitshit.

“Yes, that is what he is!” Stanford declared, nodding enthusiastically with a wide smile at their muddled lie. “He is our first cousin twice removed. Otherwise known as Mabel and Dipper’s third cousin.”

Wendy stared at the group of men in silence.

Stanford cleared his throat and Bill blinked before nodding and offering a grin. “Yup. That’s me, pleased to meet your service, Red.”

She looked at him for a long moment and the group of Pines began to sweat at her prolonged examination. Eventually however, the young woman broke out into a grin and they released a collective sigh of relief. “Nice to meet you, Will. I’d love to do proper introductions but uh, kinda worried about Mabel.”

 “Right, Mabel!” Dipper yelled, panic returning with full force. “B- William thinks he knows where she could be so he was going to lead the way.”

“Really? That’s great!” Wendy shot him a smile before it faltered. “….Wait, why is your cousin wearing handcuffs?”

“Uh, lost the keys,” Stanley lied.

“That doesn’t-“ She paused, raising a hand. “Alright, whatever, I’ll ask questions later. Let’s go find Mabel.”

“Lead the way, _William,_ ” Stanley drawled.

“Gladly, _cuz,_ ” Bill teased back, enjoying the flicker of anger in the man’s gaze. Oh that was going be fun to use.

* * *

“Hm.”

Mabel and Candy stood in a large chamber, having walked through a maze of tunnels blindly until reaching this spot. The distant sound of trickling water reached their ears as it flowed somewhere out of sight and various gaping holes in the ceiling high above displayed a starry night sky outside.

That wasn’t what caught their attention however.

“Well,” Candy said. “We did find her.”

Mabel nodded in agreement. They’d found Grenda.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t in a very good position right now.

A large piece of rope fell over a high ledge attached to one of the walls, its other end bound around the ankles of the girl who dangled helplessly in the air upside-down. If she were to fall, it would be a long and dangerous drop – and the various pointy stalagmites waiting for her down below didn’t look all too welcoming.

Grenda snored loudly and obliviously to the danger she was in.

Both girls observed the situation for several tense moments before Mabel spoke.

“Candy, didn’t you say you were co-captain of the climbing club at your school?”

The girl nodded. “I did and I am.” Candy was already eyeing up the section of wall that ran up towards the ledge and tracing a path she could climb. If she could just reach that ledge, she could pull Grenda up by the rope.

“Alright!” After a few minutes Candy smacked her cheeks with both hands, gaze firm with determination. “I think I’ve got this-“

A giggle sounded.

Both girls fell abruptly silent.

Mabel paused before slowly looking down toward the Korean girl, expression somewhat nervous. “…Um, I don’t suppose that was you?”

“N-No. You?”

Mabel shook her head.

Both teens dropped their gazes down to Jeff who refused to leave their side. He was currently fastened around Mabel’s leg with his limbs. He’d been a chattering nuisance initially but when the girls had both threatened to leave him behind he’d shut up.

Currently trembling, when their eyes fell upon him, he scowled. “It wasn’t me!” His expression quickly went back into terror as his eyes flickered in various directions anxiously.

The giggle sounded again, high-pitched and sinister. The sound echoed throughout the cavern, making it impossible to pin point and Mabel and Candy both gulped audibly as they looked around.

A gasp. “…Mabel?”

“Yeah?”

“Look.”

Candy was pointing high above. Mabel followed the direction of her finger toward a section of the ceiling. There was something dark with limbs clinging to the rocks.

Mabel would really like to wake up now if this was a dream.

The thing began to move, crawling across the ceiling towards-

“It’s going for Grenda!” Mabel cried, grabbing a rock by her feet and throwing it without hesitation. “Hey, get the hell away from her!!”

The rock missed its mark by a mile and the creature dropped from the ceiling and down onto the shelf of rock. Walking up towards the edge, it peered down at them.

Like a gnome, it wore a red pointed hat atop its head and sported a thick and long bushy beard. But that was where the similarities ended. Its skin was green and pasty, and mischief glittered within unblinking obsidian beady eyes. Its pointed ears stretched out from either side of its head for several inches and the only scrap of clothing was a piece of fabric wrapped around its neck like a scarf.

It looked more goblin than gnome.

Mabel pulled a face. Gross.

“What is it doing?” Candy asked, voice laced with alarm and the trio watched as the goblin-like creature cackled, flashing several rows of sharp teeth as it pulled out a-

“Oh no.”

It had a lighter.

The goblin laughed harder as it clicked the instrument, a single flame sputtering to life which it began to tauntingly press closer towards the rope holding Grenda aloft. (Grenda continued to snore on, oblivious).

“Hey, stop that!” Mabel yelled.

Both girls began trying to throw stones but the blasted creature was too high for them to reach and there was no way Candy could climb up there in time.

Smoke was beginning to sizzle from the rope above as the goblin laughed on.

“What do we do, what do we do?” Candy cried.

Mabel bit her lip, trying desperately to think of something and- wait. Wait, wait, wait. This was the thing that had stolen Dipper’s cookies, right? So, it liked sweet things.

Mabel quickly looked aside towards her companion. Candy still had the backpack on that she’d been carrying around earlier that day. “Candy, I need to take a look in your bag.”

“Huh?”

Without waiting for permission, Mabel stepped behind the girl and began rifling through the contents of the backpack. It didn’t take her long to find the lunchbox containing the takeout Candy and Grenda had bought from Greasy’s Diner for her and- oh god, those waffles looked really good and she was really hungry —

Wait, no, Mabel focus! Shaking her head to dispel those thoughts, she looked up and held the lunchbox high in the air.

“Hey goblin, you want some food!?”

“Hey, hey, hey what are you doing!?” Jeff snapped.

The creature peered down at them.

Mabel pulled off the lid so that it could see and smell the contents.

“Are you stupid? Now it’s going to come for _uuuuargh it’s coming already!”_ Jeff cried, voice rising several octaves.

The goblin moved with remarkable agility as it began scaling down the wall in a creepy fashion, all four limbs moving in motion.

Mabel snapped her head around towards Candy. Time to start running “I’ll lure it away, you save Grenda!”

Candy nodded. “Understood, be safe!”

With a high five, both girls went their opposite ways with their own missions in mind. Mabel began running back from where they’d come, fishing out her own phone hastily to use as a flashlight. Jeff screamed as he clung to her leg, apparently not having had the time to make a cowardly escape before she began running. She tried to ignore his nails as they bit into the skin of her leg.

Running blindly through a bunch of underground tunnels with only a small light was pretty difficult—the creepy giggles and skittering of claws upon stone that followed behind wasn’t helping either. And yet, she somehow avoided all and any dead ends. It was a miracle. Following her intuition which lead her in a particular direction, she continued on.

“Run faster, it’s catching up!” Jeff cried, fingers digging deeper into her leg.

“I’d run faster if you weren’t clawing into me!” she snapped back.

Jeff only held on tighter in response—oh he owed her so much after this! And—wait—was that the sound of rushing water up ahead? The noise grew steadily louder and Mabel skidded to an abrupt halt nearby a ledge. Peering down over it, she could see a large pool of water below with what appeared to be a waterfall on the opposite side. Was she behind a waterfall?

“Oi, oi, it’s coming!”

Mabel snapped her head around and peered back through the darkness of the tunnel she’d left behind. The light of her phone reflected against a pair of unhuman eyes coming rapidly closer.

Welp, looks like she was taking a swim!

(Her poor phone wasn’t going to make this, was it?)

She released a yell as she leapt into the pool, not having the time to consider the possible dangers of it being shallow or hiding sharp rocks beneath its surface. Luckily for her, it didn’t, and Mabel found herself surfacing from icy water a few seconds later.

Wasting no time, she swam on and ducked underneath the rushing waterfall to the other side where she found herself in the river that cut through the forest. The sun had long since set and Mabel shivered as she drifted to the shore and pulled herself out. She’d lost her phone in the dive but at least she still had the lunchbox.

Wait. “Jeff?” She looked around for the gnome. He wasn’t holding onto her leg anymore. Oh no, he wasn’t hurt was he? She might hate the guy but she still didn’t want him to die or anything!

A spluttered cough reached her ears.

Turning her head she found the gnome hunched over on the ground a few feet away as he spat out water. Yeah, he was fine.

“Argh, what did I do to deserve any of this!?” he yelled, clearly having a tantrum. “I blame you!”

“Me!?”

“Yes, you! You’re nothing but trouble!”

Mabel scowled and was about to retort when the sound of splashing reached her ears. She already knew what she was going to see before she looked towards the river and waterfall and—yup, the goblin was swimming over.

Time to run again.

Mabel grabbed the food and scrambled to her feet, slipping somewhat on the mud before she began running once again.

“Yeah, that’s right, go away!” Jeff yelled.

(Mabel was going to beat his ass after this).

Mabel wasn’t sure what the plan was here. Candy had probably reached Grenda by now but the two still needed to escape from the caves. This thing clearly liked causing mayhem and had to be stopped but how?

Mind racing, she continued to run. She wasn’t quite sure but it felt as if there was something pulling her in a certain direction. It was a weird form of intuition but it had helped her escape from the cavern so she went along with it.

The pulling sensation grew stronger the more she ran, until eventually, she fell through a line of trees and slammed directly into another.

Both of them went flying to the ground with the force of her weight collision, and released parallel grunts in reaction.

“Ow…” Mabel groaned, feeling somewhat dizzy.

A familiar chuckle reached her ears, the sound vibrating through the chest currently beneath her face.  “Man, falling for me already, Shooting Star?”

She tensed at the voice before snapping her head up, eyes wide as she took in the sight of the unmistakable blond beneath her.

“Bill?”

He flashed her a toothy grin.

“In the flesh.”

Oh boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This arc will only be two chapters long instead of three since so the next chapter will contain the final climax of this arc. 
> 
> Next chapter should *hopefully* be up by the end of this month? I'm eager to start the new arc, since then we can finally get into proper Bill (and MaBill) shenanigans. My current aim is for each arc to contain a primary antagonist, a Bill-related issue that gets solved, and a new discovery about Mabel and Bill's 'connection'. 
> 
> In this case, it was 1) the Hobgoblin, 2) Bill being released from the lab and granted some freedom and 3) the discovery that Bill and Mabel can sense in what direction the other individual is.
> 
> Fun fact: The 'hobgoblin' in this arc is based off the 'Lutin' which is a hobgoblin in French folklore. I took some liberties with it though.


	8. New Beginnings Arc: Intuition - Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Delayed update. Life is very hectic right now so it’s unavoidable ;; I intended to upload this a few days ago but then my body decided to get a summer cold so that's my life right now.
> 
> Without further ado: final chapter of this arc.

“How far are we going to walk?” Dipper asked, shining a flashlight ahead as he overstepped tree roots. “How do we even know you’re leading us in the right direction?” He turned his flashlight so it shone directly in the face of the blond currently leading their small expedition. Bill made an automatic face as the light shone in his eyes and leaned away on reflex though he tried to hide it. Dipper would be lying if he said he didn’t take some satisfaction from the guys displeasure.

“Because I’m telling the truth,” Bill drawled back. “Cm’on, we’re family aren’t we? Why would I lie?” His lips stretched into a smug smile and Dipper scowled at him before casting an anxious glance toward Wendy walking beside him.

“I just wish we’d had time for me to go grab my dad’s hunting rifle,” the redhead muttered, striding through the area like a woman on a mission. “If Mabel’s in danger because of some goblins, I’ll shoot them without hesitation.”

Bill grinned. “I like you, Red.”

Wendy glanced his way and forced an awkward smile at the ‘compliment’ whilst all three Pines men sent him glares.

Dipper caught sight of Stanley muttering something to Stanford with a disgruntled expression, likely regarding his disapproval over having Bill walking freely. Speaking of the demon, the blond came to an abrupt halt in front of them and tilted his head as if listening for something.

"What are you doing?" Dipper asked, voice laced with suspicion. He didn't trust this guy.

There was a pause before Bill looked back at them over his shoulder with a grin. "We have company."

Stanford frowned. "What—"

A figure suddenly exploded from the line of trees beside them, ramming directly into Bill.

Everyone could only watch in alarm as the man was sent careening backwards by the force, both he and his assailant vanishing off the path as they tumbled down a small slope opposite. The group quickly hurried over to peer down, catching sight of the pair at the bottom of the slope. As Dipper shone his flashlight over, he recognised that head of hair.

"Mabel-!"

Without thinking he ran down, reaching the bottom just as Mabel raised her head to peer down at the man beneath her in surprise. “Bill?”

He grinned. “In the flesh.”

“Mabel!” Dipper reached the two and quickly helped her to her feet. The brunette turned her eyes upon him in surprise. “Dipper!" Her gaze went past him. "And Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford and… wait, Wendy’s here too?”

The other three joined them and Wendy grinned as she clapped a hand on the girls shoulder. “Hey Mabel, I'm glad to see you’re alright. Your cousin led us here.”

Dipper froze.

Mabel tilted her head. “Uh. My what?”

“Our cousin,” Dipper intervened loudly, drawing Mabel’s attention as he met her eyes pointedly. “Y’know, William.” He gestured with his head towards Bill who was currently being yanked to his feet by Stanford. Bill glanced over and smiled brightly as he held up his bound hands in an awkward wave.

“Hey, cuz!”

Mabel paused, her gaze wandering between everyone’s faces as she [did the mental calculations.](https://image.ibb.co/iwTXD8/XNrFflL.png) Then, slowly but surely, she forced a fake smile. “Oh. Right. Yeah, of course… haha…”

“Why the hell are you so wet?” Wendy asked, eyeing her from head to toe as she dripped over the forest floor.

"Hm? Oh, right, yeah. A lot of crazy stuff happened but to cut a long story short, me, Candy and Grenda got kidnapped by this ugly goblin and I lured it away so those two could escape.”

Dipper looked back up the slope towards where she’d appeared from. “Where are the girls?”

“In some underground caverns. I escaped from them and came out of a waterfall not too far from here. We need to go back and get them!”

“Oi, hate to interrupt the conversation,” Bill drawled, not looking sorry at all. “But you said you were getting chased by the thing so where is it?”

Everyone fell silent, casting anxious looks in the direction Mabel had come from. There was no sight of anything else.

Mabel frowned uneasily. “…It was right behind me.” A pause and she looked alarmed. “You don’t think it went after Candy and Grenda do you? Grunkle Ford?”

The elder man blinked at being addressed before frowning. “…I haven’t had any run-ins with hobgoblins before but they are a type of fae. As such, large quantities of salt or iron should work against them.”

“Then hey, we’ve nothing to worry about,” Bill chuckled. “I’m sure you have enough salt in your personality already.”

The older man shot the grinning blond a disgruntled look. “Why you-“

Uh oh. “Guys!” Mabel yelled, earning both men’s immediate attention. “Can you _please_ save the arguments for when we’re not dealing with some gross goblin that may or may not be tracking down my best friends!?”

Stanford muttered an apology whilst Bill didn't look sorry at all.

Wendy leaned over towards Dipper, voice dropping. “Dude, is your cousin always like that?”

“Like an asshole? Yeah. Stay clear of him.”

“Did you bring that stuff, Grunkle Ford?” Mabel asked.

“Of course,” Stanford replied, looking somewhat disgruntled at the insinuation he wouldn’t. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled out a large container of table salt.

“What about the iron?”

“What do y’think this is, kid?” Stanley asked, patting the bat in his hands with a toothy grin.

Oh.

“Hobgoblins are annoying brats but they’re unsocial buggers so they’re easy enough to deal with in single numbers,” Bill remarked as they all began making their way back up the slope towards the path. Half way up there, Wendy paused and bent down to pick something up. 

"What's this?"

 

“Oh-!” Mabel snatched the container off the redhead, examining it for damage but it seemed fine. “It’s just some takeaway food from the diner that Candy and Grenda got me. Since the goblin stole Dipper’s cookies—told you it wasn’t me by the way—I figured I could lure it away with more food.”

Bill glanced over at the mention of the food, giving it a lingering gaze.

“Great, we could set up a trap!” Dipper grinned as they all reached the path once again. “If we place that on the ground as bait, we could capture the goblin when it goes for it.”

Mabel’s smile fell. “…Wait, hey, why do I have to give up my food?”

“Mabel, it’s just some diner takeaway,” Dipper said with a roll of his eyes, reaching out for it. “Stop being stupid—“

There was a smacking sound as she slapped his hand away, sending him such a furious glare that the boy was briefly taken back by it.

A beat of silence passed by in the clearing.

“….Uh… Mabel?” Wendy asked, also surprised at the sight of the girl clutching the lunchbox to her chest like it was a lifeline.

Stanford stared at his great-niece, eyebrows drawing together in worry. “…Mabel, can I-“

His words were cut off when the girl suddenly released a yelp, dropping the lunchbox and smacking at her legs in alarm. Everyone could only watch in surprise as the lunchbox levitated a few inches off the ground, the air around it shimmering a moment later to reveal the hobgoblin cackling as it plucked a white feather from its red cap.

“Holy shit,” Dipper breathed.

Stanley was the first to recover, swinging his bat at the creature which leapt out of the way with a laugh. Stanford yelled and fired his weapon, narrowly missing the creature which squeaked in alarm and changed direction whilst everyone tried to grab at it.

Bill watched all of this happening with an amused grin on his face.

Oh man, where was the popcorn when you needed it?

The goblin spun around to evade capture by Wendy and dropped the lunchbox in the process, its contents littering the ground. It released a growl and grabbed one piece of food before leaping out of the way just as Mabel and Dipper made a leap at it only to smash into one another.

_“Ow!”_

Bill cackled as the hobgoblin crawled up a tree and laughed down at them, sending a smug grin before it took a bite of the food—

—and then it exploded.

Everyone could only watched slack-jawed as the pieces of gunk rained down on them, a heavy silence weighing upon the group as they stared at where the creature had previously stood.

“….Oh, right!” Bill suddenly said, looking on them with mock surprise. “Did I forget to mention that hobgoblins can turn invisible if they put a second feather in their hat?”

Five pairs of faces turned on him, their expressions a mix of horror and shock.

“Woopsie! But hey, at least it was only the one, right?”

There was a pause.

Then:

“I’m going to kill you!”

“Grunkle Stan, no!”

* * *

Candy frowned as she examined her phone. Twenty percent battery and they still hadn’t found an exit.

“Urgh, this sucks so much!” Grenda yelled, walking beside her. Unlike Mabel and Candy, Grenda was so tall that she had to bend over when walking through the tunnels — it wasn’t fun. But at least she was safe now. Candy just hoped Mabel was alright. “I really need to pee!”

“Then why do you not just go? I will not look, I promise.”

Before Grenda couple reply, both girls went around another bend only to find the tunnel ended up ahead. They both gasped in delight.

“Could that be?” Grenda whispered.

“It must be!”

Rushing forward, both girls exited the tunnel to find themselves on a large ledge overseeing another cavern. Most of the ceiling was broken away revealing the night sky that shone down on the area.

What it lit up wasn’t a welcome sight.

Both girls paled as thirty pairs of shining obsidian eyes turned to peer up at them in the near-darkness.

A still silence fell over everything.

“…I don’t need to pee anymore.”

* * *

“What the hell just happened!?” Dipper asked, grimacing as he pulled a piece of gunk out of his hair.

Stanford scowled, turning his glare on Bill. The blond blinked innocently. “What?”

“I’m waiting for an explanation.”

Bill shrugged, giving a lackadaisical smile. “I guess diner food doesn’t agree with their kind.”

“Well... there's salt in waffles, right?” Dipper stated, although he didn't sound entirely sure of his deduction.

“It’s over now though, right?” Wendy asked, nudging a piece of black sludge on the ground. Ew. “I mean, it’s dead.”

Mabel opened her mouth to speak only to pause, a frown overtaking her face as she tilted her head and placed a hand to her ear. “…What’s that noise?”

Everyone fell quiet as they listened too.

“It sounds like… screaming?” Dipper asked.

The group all exchanged concerned glances as the sound grew louder.

“Wait,” Mabel perked up, turning around to face the direction it was coming from. “I know those voices, that’s-“

Candy and Grenda burst through the undergrowth, the former girl being carried piggy-back by the other. Mabel broke into a large grin. “Girls, you’re okay!”

Then her eyes noted the swarm of shadows following after them and the grin dropped.

Not okay.

“Everybody run!” Stanley roared.

They didn’t need to be told twice. The entire group turned and fled, with Stanford grabbing Bill by the arm and yanking him after them. The blond stumbled after a few feet, scowling. “I can’t run as fast as you idiots!”

“Oh you- I don’t have time for this!” Stanford picking the man up and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes before resuming his running. It would have been an amusing sight if they weren’t running for their lives.

“I thought you said hobgoblins were solitary creatures!” Dipper snapped.

“They are!” Bill yelled back, face red with anger at his current predicament. He watched the following creatures as they chittered and scrambled after them with a nonplussed frown as he tried to figure them out.

Stanford tried to pull out the canister of salt from his pocket whilst still holding onto Bill but it seemed to be caught on a loose thread. God dammit. "Stanley, catch!"

His twin looked over. "Huh?"

Bill's eyes widened as he was suddenly moved. "Don't you dare-!"

Stanford threw him mid-yell. Stanley released a curse as he found himself suddenly being faced with 90lbs of asshole thrown into his face. Miraculously, he managed to not drop the bat whilst catching Bill and scooping him under his arm as he continued running. 

Ford pulled out the canister of salt and popped off its lit, screeching to a halt and spinning around as he swung it in an arc. The goblins released hisses as the mineral came into contact with them, their skin bubbling in reaction. The others came to a quick stop when they noted Ford wasn't running anymore. "Grunkle Ford!" Mabel yelled.

"Go into my lab!" he yelled back, throwing salt whenever any of the creatures seemed to be getting too near. "There's a container on my desk, get that and bring it outside!" He jerked aside as one of the goblins lurched forward, dousing it with salt and watching as it hissed and retreated back. "I'll hold them off, so go!"

Stanley raised the arm holding his bat as he stepped forward. "Me too. You kids go."

"Great idea, I'll go with them!" Bill chimed only for Stanford to tighten his grip. Not a chance.

Mabel and Dipper exchanged looks before nodding and running off. It was only after rushing ten or so feet that Mabel noted Wendy, Candy and Grenda had opted to stay behind as well to aid in holding the goblins off.

She hoped they’d be alright.

They'd run back so fast that they weren't all too far from the shack—Dipper knew these woods like the back of his hand so going in the right direction towards it even in the dark was easy. Flying through the front door, the twins made a beeline for the shop where the hidden elevator was. True to Stanford's words, there was a container on his desk and Mabel actually recognised it.

"He wants us to fetch _this?"_

* * *

Stanley, Stanford, Wendy, Candy and Grenda all rushed out of the line of trees and down the path leading towards the shack as a hoard of twenty or so hobgoblins remained on their tail. Their limbs were covered in scratches and bite marks and Wendy’s long hair looked an utter mess as if a goblin had been tangled within it — which is what had probably happened. 

Dipper stood up on the porch roof and raised his voice. “Hey, goblins!” Dipper roared. “Catch!” Tearing back the lid of the lunchbox in his hand, he pulled his arm back before throwing out pieces of food. Mabel stood a few feet beside him, arms folded and a frown on her face.

The hobgoblins immediately gave up chasing the group of humans in favor of wolfing down the scraps of sweet food.

Soon, every single one had indulged in a bite of the food.

Then, collectively, they went boom.

The group down on the ground flinches as pieces of dark gunk landed against them, faces twisting.

“Ew…”

Dipper grimaced. "I'm not cleaning that up."

* * *

As the first touches of light began to shine upon the horizon, Mabel grabbed both her friends in a strong squeeze. “I’m so glad you guys are okay!”

“When I requested adventure for the three of us, this was not exactly what I had in mind,” Candy replied with a weak smile that Mabel returned. 

"Who woulda thought diner food would save the day," Grenda said in surprise. It was lucky for them Ford hadn't eaten the lunch she'd taken down for him yesterday. Must be that Greasy's Diner used so much salt in its food, that anything from there was like poison to hobgoblins. (Of course, Mabel still fully intended on eating there regardless).

"So..." Candy began, voice quiet. "Who is that blond guy?" 

Mabel followed their gazes to where Bill was currently stood eyeing some of the goblin-leftovers covering the pathway. Stanford wasn't too far away from him, currently taking some 'samples' for examination in the lab later on. "Oh.... him. He's my... cousin?" 

“He's kinda cute,” Candy giggled.

Mabel snapped her head around so fast she almost got whiplash. The Korean girl was playing with a lock of hair as she gazed upon Bill with a blush with a shy smile.

“Is he single?”

**_“NO!”_ **

Everyone turned their heads around at the brunettes loud exclamation and Mabel flushed under their scrutiny. Clearing her throat, she forced a smile. “I mean… uh…” God no, she was **not** going to let this happen.

Any proper response she could give was cut short when shadow suddenly fell upon her. "Are my ears burning?"

Her face fell. Great.

Bill stepped forward to stand beside her, smiling brightly. "Hey there girls, it's Candy and Grenda right?"

Candy made a small noise that Mabel recognised as the giggle she made around her current crush. Oh God. Bill's smile widened as he regarded the two girls and Mabel glowered at him. "Well hey, I'm going to be in town for a while visiting the old fam' so why don't you girls drop around tomorrow to hang out?"

"That sounds awesome," Grenda replied with a grin whilst Candy nodded frantically, face beet red.

Bill's grin was cut short when Mabel elbowed him in the stomach and he grunted. "Ha ha hah, well I'm sure you guys need to get back home!" Mabel declared a bit too loudly. "Grunkle Stan will take you home and I'll catch you later. Just, uh, excuse us... we need to talk about something. Family stuff." She grabbed Bill by the arm and all but yanked him several feet away, aware of Stanford following them with his eyes from several feet away.

"What the hell are you planing?" she demanded, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

He blinked down at her innocently. "Hm?"

Shoulders hunched up, she jabbed a finger in his chest. "Look here you jerk, stay the hell away from Candy and Grenda." She'd be damned if she let him get involved with two of her closest friends.

He regarded her silently for a moment before his lips twitched up in amusement and that only annoyed her more. Stanford quickly came over towards the two of them, taking Bill by the elbow. 

"Hey now, I hope you're not planning on locking me back up Sixer. Pine Tree made a deal, remember."

"A deal?" Mabel repeated and Stanford shot Bill a sharp look.

"Yup, your brother agreed to let me have full reign of the shack if I lead him and his lame group to you," Bill replied breezily which only made Mabel have more questions. How the hell did Bill know where she'd been? 

Mabel quickly turned her head to seek out her brother and a moment later she found him. Stood to the side of the shack speaking in hushed tones, Dipper was in deep conversation with Wendy. The older girl leaned forward and said something which caused her brother to flush deeply.

That wasn't too bad. But when Dipper caught her eyes and realised she was watching, he looked alarmed—as if he was discussing something he didn't want her to be aware of. It was the same expression he'd made when she'd caught him slow-dancing in the kitchen with the broom.

One mystery had been solved today, but there were plenty of others awaiting.

Good thing she was stubborn and relentless in gaining answers.

"Oi Shooting Star, your pet pig is eating goblin guts."

"What? Waddles, no!"

* * *

Bill watched the girl chasing after her pet pig with laughter however it faded as he gave some of the goblin remains resting upon the ground another look, eyebrows drawing together.

He knew Hobgoblins. And he knew that it was weird and unheard of for there to be this many together in one location. It was rare to see even two working together, let alone this large quantity.

Was there something going on in the Fae world...? 

_"Waddles, spit the goblin gunk out right this second or no treats!"_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, first arc is done! 
> 
> I hope you liked the hobgoblins. For a first arc antagonist, their level of threat was quite low however I’ll be upping the ante with each arc. Think of it like a game where each enemy is a higher level.
> 
> Why did the diner food work on the hobgoblins? Why was there such a large hoard when they’re meant to be solitary creatures? Why can Mabel and Bill sense where each person is? Stick around to find out. :p
> 
> P.S - If you want to see any particular supernatural/mythical creatures in this story that weren't in GF then let me know! I might be able to slot them in somewhere.


End file.
